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Updated: May 9, 2026

An Oligonucleotide-based Tandem RNA Isolation Procedure to Recover Eukaryotic mRNA-Protein Complexes
Published on: August 18, 2018
A multidimensional platform for the purification of non-coding RNA species
Yok Hian Chionh1, Chia-Hua Ho, Dumnoensun Pruksakorn
1Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Infectious Disease Interdisciplinary Research Group, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise, Singapore 138602, Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Department of Biological Engineering and Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA, Applied Biological Science Program, Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand, Division of Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Immunology Programme, Life Science Institute, Centre for Life Science, Singapore 117456 and Novartis Institute for Tropical Disease, Singapore 138670.
Researchers developed a new multidimensional chromatography platform for direct analysis of all non-coding RNA (ncRNA) species. This method enables comprehensive RNA epigenetics and novel ncRNA discovery in various biological samples.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are increasingly recognized for their roles in gene regulation and RNA epigenetics.
- Current methods for ncRNA analysis often rely on amplification, limiting direct study of RNA modifications and novel species.
- A need exists for comprehensive methods to purify and analyze the full spectrum of cellular ncRNAs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a direct analytical method for the comprehensive purification and quantification of all cellular non-coding RNA (ncRNA) species.
- To enable the characterization of novel ncRNA molecules and post-transcriptional modifications.
- To provide a platform for system-level analysis of ncRNA in diverse biological contexts.
Main Methods:
- Development of a multidimensional chromatographic platform for RNA separation.
- Direct isolation and quantification of canonical and novel ncRNA species without amplification.
- Application of the platform to analyze ncRNA from bacteria, human cells, infected reticulocytes, and viral genomes.
Main Results:
- The platform successfully resolved, isolated, and quantified a wide range of ncRNA species from various biological sources.
- Demonstrated applicability across different organisms (bacteria, human, Plasmodium) and sample types (cells, tissue, viral RNA).
- Enabled system-level analysis of modified ribonucleosides and characterization of novel long ncRNAs.
Conclusions:
- The developed multidimensional chromatographic platform offers a powerful tool for direct, comprehensive analysis of the ncRNA landscape.
- This method overcomes limitations of amplification-based techniques, facilitating deeper insights into ncRNA function and RNA epigenetics.
- Potential applications include enhanced detection of rare variants, characterization of novel ncRNAs, and viral genome analysis.
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