The presence of residual gold nanoparticles in samples interferes with the RT-qPCR assay used for gene expression profiling

Influence of Magnetite Nanoparticles and Quantum Dots on the Expression of Reference Genes in Peripheral Blood Cells

We studied the influence of magnetite nanoparticles (FeO•Fe₂O₃) and quantum dots (CdSe/ZnS coated with mercaptopropionic acid) on the expression of 5 common reference genes (BA, B2M, PPIA, UBC, and YWHAZ) in peripheral blood cells from 20 volunteers by reverse transcription PCR method. The stability of the expression of reference genes varied depending of the cells type and chemical structure of nanoparticles. The level of YWHAZ mRNA after exposure by nanoparticles demonstrated highest stability in lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes. Stability of YWHAZ expression was confirmed by Western blotting. Our findings suggest that YWHAZ is the most suitable as the reference gene.