Asymmetric real-time PCR and multiplex melting curve analysis with TaqMan probes for detecting PIK3CA mutations.

The data in this article are related to the research article entitled "Optimization of melting analysis with TaqMan probes for detection of KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF mutations" Botezatu et al. [1]. Somatic mutations in the PIK3CA gene ("hot spots" in exons 9 and 20) are found in many human cancers, and their presence can determine prognosis and a treatment strategy. An effective method of mutation scanning PIK3CA in clinical laboratories is DNA Melting Analysis (DMA) (Vorkas et al., 2010; Simi et al., 2008) [2], [3]. It was demonstrated recently that the TaqMan probes which have been long used in Real Time PCR may also be utilized in DMA (Huang et al., 2011) [4]. After optimization of this method Botezatu et al. [1], it was used for multiplex scanning PIK3CA hotspot mutations in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from patients with colorectal and lung cancer.