Biomarkers and uses therefor

A composition comprising one or more joint inflammation cDNA biomarker synthesis and amplification reaction mixtures, the one or more joint inflammation cDNA biomarker synthesis and amplification reaction mixtures comprising a first reaction mixture comprising:

• a) DNA polymerase,
• b) reverse transcriptase,
• c) synovial fluid leukocyte whole cell RNA from a synovial joint of a subject, wherein the subject has joint pain in, or has at least one clinical sign of inflammation in, or proximal to, the synovial joint, or has joint pain in and at least one clinical sign of inflammation in, or proximal to, the synovial joint,
• d) oligonucleotide reverse transcription primers that serve to synthesize at least one joint inflammation cDNA biomarker from the synovial fluid leukocyte whole cell RNA in the presence of the reverse transcriptase,
• e) POLR2G cDNA synthesized in the first reaction mixture from the synovial fluid leukocyte whole cell RNA by at least one of the oligonucleotide reverse transcription primers and the reverse transcriptase,
• f) oligonucleotide amplification primers that hybridize to opposite complementary strands of the POLR2G cDNA and that serve to amplify the POLR2G cDNA in the presence of the DNA polymerase, and
• g) amplified POLR2G cDNA resulting from amplifying the POLR2G cDNA in the first reaction mixture,
• wherein an amount of amplified POLR2G cDNA in the first reaction mixture is indicative of an amount of POLR2G RNA in the synovial fluid leukocyte whole cell RNA from a synovial joint of a subject.