Method of measuring tumor suppressor gene p53
The instant invention provides a means for quantitatively determining the level of tumor suppressor gene p53 by determination of level of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) of the gene in a sample when compared with a prepared standard. The assay is quantitative in that the specific number of copies of the p53 mRNA in a sample may be derived from a curve from a standard of p53 RNA. The RNA used in preparation of a standard curve to quantitate RNA is generated using a plasmid which is part of the invention. In the assay, the RNA is produced by a protein (RNA polymerase) that reads the DNA message and manufactures an RNA copy. The RNA content of the transcribed sample is determined spectrophotometrically to measure the molar concentration. With prior knowledge of the molecular weight of the transcribed RNA and using Avogadro's number, the actual number of molecules of transcripted "control" p53 RNA can be determined