• Breakthrough Competimer™ technology for quantitative end-point RT-PCR
  
  
• 18S rRNA can now be used as an internal control for mRNA species of any abundance
  
  

Because of its invariant expression across tissues and treatments, 18S ribosomal RNA is an ideal internal control for quantitative RNA analysis. However, the high abundance of 18S rRNA makes it difficult to use in RT-PCR experiments with mRNA species that are less abundant. Ambion's 18S Internal Standards solve this problem using Competimer™ technology. "Competimers" are specially modified primers that cannot be extended. By adjusting the ratio of Competimers to normal 18S rRNA primers, the signal for 18S rRNA can be attenuated to the level of even rare messages by modulating the efficiency of amplification of the 18S PCR product.

The Universal 18S Internal Standards function across the broadest range of eukaryotes, including animals, plants and many protozoa. The Classic 18S Internal Standards contain the same primers/Competimers that were part of Ambion's original QuantumRNA 18S Internal Standards Module. The Classic II 18S Internal Standards produce a different PCR product size from the Classic set. All QuantumRNA 18S Internal Standards come complete with 18S primers and Competimers, a control RNA sample and instructions.

Product Sizes:
Universal 18S Standards: 315 bp
Classic 18S Standards: 488 bp
Classic II 18S Standards: 324 bp

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