Enrichment of alternatively spliced isoforms

Methods Mol Biol. 2008:419:161-70. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-033-1_11.

Abstract

Most metazoan genes are alternatively spliced, and a large number of alternatively spliced isoforms are likely to be functionally significant and expressed at specific stages of pathogenesis or differentiation. Splicing changes usually only affect a small portion of a gene, and these changes may cause significant mRNA degradation. After RT-PCR, minor variants can form heteroduplexes with the major variants. Affinity purification of these heteroduplexes using immobilized Thermus aquaticus single-stranded DNA-binding protein allows purification of alternative splice forms in a 1:1 ratio, which makes it easy to sequence the rare form. This chapter provides a detailed protocol of the technique I have developed to identify spliced isoforms called enrichment of alternatively spliced isoforms or EASI.

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA Primers / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes / genetics
  • Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes / isolation & purification
  • Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes / metabolism
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics*
  • RNA, Messenger / isolation & purification*
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Testis / metabolism
  • Thermus / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA Primers
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Recombinant Proteins