title: RNA radiolabeling.
abstract: Radioactive end-labeling is useful for visualizing and allowing the detection of nucleic acids at trace concentrations. Radioactive end-labeling can be carried out on RNA, DNA, or other modified nucleic acids. For RNA, the uses of end-labeling extend beyond simple detection of the intact RNA. A number of RNA molecules studied by biologists form three-dimensional structures in solution, and many of the techniques used to study these structures depend on the ability to visualize the RNA after fragmentation. Labeling at either the 5'- or 3'-end serves as a gateway into these structural analysis techniques (see Structural Analysis of RNA Backbone Using In-Line Probing), and protocols for these labeling procedures are described below (for a nonradiactive labeling protocol, see Fluorescently Labeling Synthetic RNAs).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Rishi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Porecha
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herschlag
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004256:DNA Polymerase I / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology; D007553:Isotope Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D012313:RNA; D004256:DNA Polymerase I
keywords: Denaturing polyacrylamide gel; Dephosphorylation; E. coli DNA polymerase klenow fragment; Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) purification; RNA extraction; RNA radiolabeling