Quantification of microRNAs in Cells and Tissues Using Stem-Loop RT PCR and qPCR

MicroRNA s are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by binding to the 3' untranslated region of the mRNA of their target genes. MicroRNA expression is altered in medulloblastoma as compared to the normal brain and this alteration is often associated with the pathogenesis of this tumor. The quantification of microRNA expression is carried out using quantitative/real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In this chapter, we describe the protocol for the quantification of microRNA s in medulloblastoma tissues and cultured cells. This is carried out in three steps: (1) Extraction of total RNA, (2) Stem-loop reverse-transcriptase PCR, and (3) quantitative PCR.