Absolute Human Telomere Length and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Dual Quantification qPCR Assay Kit

Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide elements at the ends of chromosomes that protect chromosomes from degradation and genetic information loss. Normal diploid cells lose telomeres with each cell cycle. Telomere length, therefore, decreases over time and may predict lifespan. Accurate and consistent quantification of telomere length is important in many aspects of cell biology such as chromosomal instability, DNA repair, senescence, apoptosis, cell dysfunctions and oncogenesis. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is circular, multicopy genome DNA located in mitochondrion, a cellular organelle that plays a key role in the energy production. The capacity for energy production in a cell depends on both mtDNA integrity and copy number. Evidence suggests that telomere length and mitochondrial dysfunction are positively correlated in cellular aging and other age-related disorders such as cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. A possible mechanistic link between them has been proposed through the PPAR signaling pathway. However, the specifics of the mechanism still has to be elucidated. ScienCell's Absolute Human Telomere Length and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Dual Quantification qPCR Assay Kit (AHDQ) is designed to simultaneously quantify the average telomere length and mtDNA copy number of a human cell population using qPCR. The telomere primer set recognizes and amplifies telomere sequences. The mtDNA primer set recognizes and amplifies one of the most conserved regions on human mtDNA and will not amplify any off-target sequence on nuclear genomic DNA. The single copy reference (SCR) primer set recognizes and amplifies a 100 bp-long region on human chromosome 17, and serves as reference for data normalization. The reference genomic DNA sample with known telomere length and mtDNA copy number serves as a reference for calculating the telomere length and the mtDNA copy number of target samples. The carefully designed primers ensure: (i) high efficiency for trustworthy quantification; and (ii) no non-specific amplification. Each primer set has been validated by qPCR with melt curve analysis and gel electrophoresis for amplification specificity and by template serial dilution for amplification efficiency.