Although historically it has been standard practice to verify a subset of array-generated gene expression changes using qRT-PCR, we did not include such confirmation in the present study. We have used Illumina platforms (including the one used in this study) extensively and “validated” them with independent qRT-PCR experiments in the past. The level of correspondence between the microarray and RT-PCR results exceeds 80% [11], [33], [34].
