Small RNA Extraction and Detection in Rice (Oryza sativa)

Rice (Orzya sativa) small RNAs regulate almost all biological processes and agronomic traits. Characterization and dissection of small RNA functions have become an important part of rice functional genomic research. Isolation of small RNAs of desirable quality is essential for a variety of analytical techniques such as cloning, RT-PCR, northern hybridization, and microarray analysis. Among these, northern hybridization is the most convincing method to display size distribution, abundance, and expression profiles of small RNAs. This article describes protocols for extraction and detection of small RNAs from rice tissues, including procedures to enrich small RNAs from total RNA, and examination of the size and abundance of small RNAs by northern hybridization. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.