ANALYSIS OF DISSOCIATED SINGLE NEURONS BY SIMPLE AND SEMIQUANTITATIVERT-PCR (REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION AND POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION)

We have developed a simple and semi-quantitative method for mRNA deter mination in single cells using the reverse transcription and polymeras e chain reaction (RT-PCR). The distinct features of this method are th e highly efficient RNA harvest from whole dissociated cells and the ab ility to perform all RT procedures in one tube that allowed semi-quant itative determination of mRNA in dissociated cells. This method reveal ed that histamine H-1-receptor mRNA was highly expressed in 5/28 small and 1/26 large dorsal root ganglion neurons of the mouse.