@article{Imboden01081993,
author = {Imboden, P and Burkart, T and Schopfer, K}, 
title = {Simultaneous detection of DNA and RNA by differential polymerase chain reaction (DIFF-PCR).},
volume = {3}, 
number = {1}, 
pages = {23-27}, 
year = {1993}, 
abstract ={A new technique, the differential polymerase chain reaction (DIFF-PCR), allows the simultaneous amplification of DNA and homologous RNA in a single assay by the combination of DNA-PCR and RNA-PCR on the same target. DNA-PCR amplifies a selected segment of dsDNA, whereas RNA-PCR amplifies a complementary DNA (cDNA), produced by reverse transcription of RNA. In a mixture of target DNA and RNA, DNA is amplified using a combination of sense and antisense primers under high-stringency conditions giving a D-amplicon. RNA is first reverse-transcribed with a primer carrying a nontarget 5' end into a tagged cDNA at low stringency. Tagged cDNA is subsequently amplified, providing an R-amplicon smaller in size than the D-amplicon. By quantifying the relative amounts of amplified RNA and homologous DNA, a sensitive measure for the transcription rate of a defined DNA segment is obtained. Thus, DIFF-PCR may serve as a useful tool for monitoring gene expression as well as for studying gene regulation and gene function.}, 
URL = {http://genome.cshlp.org/content/3/1/23.abstract}, 
eprint = {http://genome.cshlp.org/content/3/1/23.full.pdf+html}, 
journal = {Genome Research} 
}