Figure 1. Gain of statistical significance with inappropriate reference gene selection.
Total RNA was isolated over time from density-arrested 3T3-L1 preadipocytes treated with 1 nM TNFα and assessed for reference and target gene expression by qRT-PCR. Fold changes in reference genes that fell within (A) and outside (B) the ΔCT ≤ +/−0.5 limits of suitability. Fold changes in Dusp10 gene expression without (C) and with normalization (D) to 18S, the geometric mean of three reference genes or β-actin. Asterisks indicates significant differences between treated and untreated samples (p<0.05).