1.4. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative PCR

The lacrimal gland explants were harvested from each experimental condition. The RNA of lacrimal gland explants was extracted by RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen), and was prepared for synthesis of complementary DNA by ReverseAid kit (Thermo Fisher). The specific primers of HGF related genes used for RT-PCR and quantitative PCR were listed in Table 1. The experimental procedures of RT-PCR and quantitative PCR were performed as previously described [7].

Primers for RT-PCR and qPCR analyses.