To begin, prepare the 2X buffer for RT-qPCR in DNase/RNase free water. Store the buffer at minus 20 degrees Celsius until further use. Next, mix the primers and the probes in a 1.5 milliliter tube.
Make up the volume with elution buffer. Then store the tube at minus 20 degrees Celsius. Prepare an enzyme mix with Taq polymerase and M-MLV RT in a 1.5 milliliter tube on ice.
Make up the volume with Taq polymerase storage buffer. Now re-suspend the viral synthetic RNAs in separate tubes with 100 microliters of Tris-EDTA buffer to make stocks of 10 to the sixth RNA copies per microliter. To mix the virus stocks, add five microliters each of SARS-CoV-2 influenza A and B to 50 microliters of Tris-EDTA buffer.
Similarly, mix SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV to obtain a second viral mix. Dilute both mixtures tenfold to obtain a final dilution of 10 RNA copies per microliter. To each well of a 96-well plate, pipette 2X buffer, primer, enzyme, DNase/RNase free water, and the corresponding RNA mixtures.
Seal the plate with an adhesive plate seal. Then centrifuge the plate for one minute to collect the liquid at the well bottom. Next, program the PCR machine to accept the fast 96-well block type with the experimental type set to standard curve.
Set the reagents to TaqMan reagents and select standard run properties. Define the gene targets and the reporter dye. Then define the sample names for each reaction to be tested and assign targets and samples to the plate layout.
Now, input the cycle program into the instrument. Transfer the plate to the real-time qPCR machine in the correct orientation and press run to initiate the cycle. Choose the file location to save the experimental data.
Then examine the amplification plots provided by the qPCR program. The two developed kits were able to successfully amplify all three target genes simultaneously with as low as 10 RNA copies per reaction. The amplification efficiencies for all viral titrations were above 99%
