Methylation of RNA by methyltransferases is a phylogenetically ubiquitous post-transcriptional modification that occurs most extensively in transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Biochemical characterization of RNA methyltransferase enzymes and their methylated product RNA or RNA-protein complexes is usually done by measuring the incorporation of radiolabeled methyl groups into the produ...

The entry of new all-oral direct acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C provides an opportunity to scale up HCV care in low- and middle-income countries. In HIV, use of dried blood spots (DBS) has facilitated the diagnosis and management of HIV in resource-poor settings. DBS may be used in a similar way to facilitate diagnosis and management of HCV. Here, we present a systematic review of the...

Several methods have been developed to quantify RNA synthesis during the progression of the cell cycle. The rate of RNA synthesis can be detected during different stages of the cell cycle by staining cells with agents that intercalate with nucleic acids. For example, following staining of mammalian cells with acridin orange, the green and red fluorescence that correlates with DNA and RNA conten...

performance of RNA-seq across laboratories and to test different sequencing platforms and data analysis pipelines. Here we report a multisite, cross-platform analysis of RNA-seq measurement performance in a controlled setting. We sequenced commercially available reference RNA samples spiked with synthetic RNA from the External RNA Control Consortium. Two distinct samples were assessed individua...

Three independent methods of measurement showed that cytoplasmic polyadenylated RNA from the differentiating myogenic cell line L8 consists of two main populations with regard to stability, one with a half-life of less than 4 h and the other with a half-life of 17--54 h. Similar results were obtained in the presence and absence of actinomycin D. During the fusion of mononucleated myoblasts into...

Pharmacologic target gene modulation is the primary objective for RNA antagonist strategies and gene therapy. Here we show that mRNAs encoding tissue-specific gene transcripts can be detected in biological fluids and that RNAi-mediated target gene silencing in the liver and brain results in quantitative reductions in serum and cerebrospinal fluid mRNA levels, respectively. Further, administrati...