Background
Sensitivity and accuracy are key points when using microarrays to detect alterations in gene expression under different conditions. Critical to the acquisition of reliable
Conclusion
We therefore recommend the specific removal of vRNA, or of any other abundant 'contaminating' RNAs, from total RNA samples to improve the quality and reliability of microarray analyses.
Results
In this study we used coronaviruses as a model to show that vRNA indeed interferes with microarray analysis, decreasing both sensitivity and accuracy. We also demonstrate that the removal of vRNA from total RNA samples, by means of virus-specific oligonucleotide capturing, significantly reduced the number of false-positive hits and increased the sensitivity of the method as tested on different array platforms.