Stochastic Analysis of the RT-PCR Process in Single-Cell RNA-Seq

The single-cell RNA-seq allows exploring the transcriptome for one cell at a time. By doing so, cellular regulation is pictured. One limitation dropout events phenomenon, where gene observed low or moderate expression level in but not detected another. Dropouts obscure legitimate biological heterogeneity leading to description of small fraction meaningful relations. We used stochastic approach model Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) kinetic, which we contemplated temperature profile, RT-PCR duration, and reaction rates. studying underlying biochemical processes RT-PCR, using computational analytical framework, show minimal amount RNA avoid events. further use this fact characterize limits dispersion reduction. Dispersion asymptotically decreases as initial value increases. Despite always being basal dispersion, their decreasing speed modulated mainly by degradation rates, particularly RNA. concluded that critical step into RT phase due fragile nature propose limiting might ensure portraited transcriptional landscape unbiased technical error.