TU-tagging: cell type-specific RNA isolation from intact complex tissues
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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Isolate Cell-Type-Specific RNAs from Snap-Frozen Heterogeneous Tissue Samples without Cell Sorting
Published on: December 8, 2021
Michael R Miller1, Kristin J Robinson, Michael D Cleary
1Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Abstract:
We found that the combination of spatially restricted uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) expression with 4-thiouracil delivery can be used to label and purify cell type-specific RNA from intact complex tissues in Drosophila melanogaster. This method is useful for isolating RNA from cell types that are difficult to isolate by dissection or dissociation methods and should work in many organisms, including mammals and other vertebrates.
