| abstract |
The invention provides sampling methods that permit the quantitative analysis of nucleic acid amplification reactions. The methods disclosed permit quantitative expression analysis of multiple genes or transcription units, both in the same amplification reaction and in multiple amplification reactions. In one aspect, the methods disclosed include, briefly, dispensing or withdrawing an aliquot from a reaction mixture at plural stages of an amplification regimen, separating and detecting nucleic acids in the aliquot, determining the quantity of a plurality of separated nucleic acid species in the aliquot, and for each separated nucleic acid species from each stage, correlating the quantity of the species with the stage at which the aliquot comprising the species was dispensed, thereby generating a profile of the amplification. |