BioTechniquesMar 1, 1995

Measuring the tail length of one type of mRNA in total liver RNA

Updated Feb 19, 2026

Abstract

Poly(A) tail length is important in the stability and translation of mRNA.

The analysis focuses on a specific mRNA species within total hepatic RNA.
A short 3' fragment of the targeted mRNA is generated using RNase H digestion.
The poly(A) tail length is determined by electrophoretic methods and size comparison.
Detection of the poly(A) tail is achieved using a radiolabeled cDNA probe.

Simplified

Poly(A) tail length is important in the stability and translation of mRNA. We describe procedures for the rapid and reproducible analysis of poly(A) tail length of a single mRNA species contained in a sample of total hepatic RNA. A short 3' fragment of a specific mRNA is prepared by RNase H digestion of the targeted mRNA region annealed to a short DNA oligonucleotide. The length of the poly(A) tail of the 3' fragment is then determined by running the sample on a polyacrylamide gel, by electrophoretic transfer, by probing with a radiolabeled cDNA and by comparing the size of the detected region with a specific RNA ladder or a DNA ladder.

Abstract

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