COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. (Tues., June 1, 2010) -- Gel
electrophoresis is one of the most important and frequently used
techniques in RNA analysis. Electrophoresis is used for RNA
detection, quantification, purification by size and quality
assessment. Gels are involved in a wide variety of methods
including northern blotting, primer extension, footprinting and
analyzing processing reactions. The two most common types of
gels are polyacrylamide and agarose. Polyacrylamide gels are
used in most applications and are appropriate for RNAs smaller
than approximately 600 nucleotides (agarose gels are preferred
for larger RNAs). "Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis of RNA"
describes how to prepare, load and run polyacrylamide gels for
RNA analysis. The article is featured in the June issue of Cold
Spring Harbor Protocols and is freely available on the journal's
website. It is part of a suite of basic RNA protocols included
in this month's issue that provide an early preview of the
forthcoming RNA: A Laboratory Manual d