Detection of antisense transcripts in transgenic plants by RT—PCR

A reverse transcriptase—polymerase chain reaction (RT—PCR) where one oligonucleotide primer is end‐labelled has been used to analyse expression in transgenic plants carrying antisense gene constructs. Specific detection of both sense and antisense RNA transcripts of the spliceosomal protein gene, U2B″, was achieved using the same pair of oligonucleotide primers. To maintain specificity, a reaction step in which reverse transcriptase was inactivated and RNA digested was found to be essential.