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INTRODUCTIONThis article describes the analysis and quantification of Arabidopsis RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RNA is first reverse-transcribed into cDNA, which is then amplified by competitive PCR using a mimic. Multiple PCRs are performed using a constant amount of unknown cDNA and varying amounts of a mimic; that is, a template of known concentration that is close in size and GC content to the quantified target and that contains the same annealing sites for primers. Mimics are usually designed to produce PCR products ~10%-20% smaller or larger than the endogenous target. A mimic can be used as a DNA standard (as in this protocol), to be included after the reverse transcription reaction, or, even better, as an RNA standard. In the latter case, an RNA molecule must be generated from a vector designed for in vitro transcription, such as pGEM or pBluescript series vectors. The procedure described here is based on commercial kit protocols.

INTRODUCTIONThis article describes the analysis of Arabidopsis RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RNA is first reverse-transcribed into cDNA, which is then amplified by PCR. This method is quick and easy. Although RT-PCR can be performed quantitatively, it is often technically challenging to obtain highly accurate results. We recommend the use of an RT-PCR kit; the procedure given here is adapted from a commercial kit protocol. In the PCR step, it is advisable to use oligonucleotide primers that span at least one intron. In this way, amplification of any contaminating genomic DNA is readily detected, because the product derived from genomic DNA will be larger than the cDNA product. Expression levels are determined by comparing against a gene that is expressed fairly uniformly, such as the ubiquitin gene UBQ10.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in gene expression regulation by guiding Argonaute (AGO)-containing microribonucleoprotein (miRNP) effector complexes to target polynucleotides. There are still uncertainties about how miRNAs interact with mRNAs. Here we employed a biochemical approach to isolate AGO-containing miRNPs from human H4 tumor cells by co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) with a previously described anti-AGO antibody. Co-immunoprecipitated (co-IPed) RNAs were subjected to downstream Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST microarray analysis. During rigorous validation, the “RIP-Chip” assay identified target mRNAs specifically associated with AGO complexes. RIP-Chip was performed after transfecting brain-enriched miRNAs (miR-107, miR-124, miR-128, and miR-320) and nonphysiologic control miRNA to identify miRNA targets. As expected, the miRNA transfections altered the mRNA content of the miRNPs. Specific mRNA species recruited to miRNPs after miRNA transfections were moderately in agreement with computational target predictions. In addition to recruiting mRNA targets into miRNPs, miR-107 and to a lesser extent miR-128, but not miR-124 or miR-320, caused apparent exclusion of some mRNAs that are normally associated with miRNPs. MiR-107 and miR-128 transfections also result in decreased AGO mRNA and protein levels. However, AGO mRNAs were not recruited to miRNPs after either miR-107 or miR-128 transfection, confirming that miRNAs may alter gene expression without stable association between particular mRNAs and miRNPs. In summary, RIP-Chip assays constitute an optimized, validated, direct, and high-throughput biochemical assay that provides data about specific miRNA:mRNA interactions, as well as global patterns of regulation by miRNAs.

Genome-wide targets of chromatin-associated factors can be identified by a combination of chromatin-immunoprecipitation and oligonucleotide microarray hybridization. Genome-wide mircoarray data analysis represents a major challenge for the experimental biologist. This chapter introduces ChIPR, a package written in the R statistical programming language that facilitates the analysis of two-color microarrays from Roche-Nimblegen. The workflow of ChIPR is illustrated with sample data from Arabidopsis thaliana. However, ChIPR supports ChIP-chip data preprocessing, target identification, and cross-annotation of any species for which genome annotation data is available in GFF format. This chapter describes how to use ChIPR as a software tool without the requirement for programming skills in the R language.

Microarrays are extensively used to evaluate the effects of compounds on gene expression in the cells. Most of the studies so far have analyzed the transcriptome of the cell. The basic assumption of this approach is that the changes in gene expression occur at the level of transcription of a gene. However, changes often occur at the posttranscriptional level and are not reflected in the analysis of whole transcriptome. We have pioneered the development of "ribonomic profiling" as a high-throughput method to study posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression in the cell. This method is also often referred to as RIP-CHIP. In this chapter, we describe how to use the RIP-CHIP technology to assess the posttranscriptional changes occurring in the cell in response to treatment with a drug.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation in combination with DNA-microarray hybridization (ChIP-chip) allows the identification of chromatin regions that are associated with modified forms of histones on a genomic scale. The ChIP-chip workflow consists of the following steps: generation of biological material, in vivo formaldehyde-fixation of protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions, chromatin preparation and shearing, immunoprecipitation of chromatin with specific antibodies, fixation reversal and DNA purification, DNA amplification, microarray hybridization, and data analysis. In Part A of this chapter, we describe molecular methods of the experimental procedure employed to identify chromosomal regions of Arabidopsis thaliana associated with H3K27me3. In addition, some general information on the microarray platform from Roche-NimbleGen will be provided. Part B of this chapter focuses on ChIP-chip data analysis of H3K27me3 on the Roche-NimbleGen platform.

Protein-DNA interactions, such as those that are necessary for transcription, are critical in regulating cellular function and behavior. The identification of DNA sequences that interact with transcriptional regulatory proteins is an important step necessary to better understand the molecular mechanisms regulating gene expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is one such procedure that provides a snapshot of which transcription factors are occupying specific DNA sequences. This method allows one not only to determine whether a particular genomic region is occupied by transcription factors but also to identify specific regulatory sequences that potentially control expression of their target genes. Recently, ChIP has been combined with both microarray analysis and a new generation of sequencing allowing a true genome-wide examination of transcription factor binding. Identifying the exact DNA sequence that a transcriptional regulatory protein binds, the precise timing of this association, and what other factors are involved in these interactions are important steps that will shed light on the transcriptional control mechanisms that dictate the biology of all cells, including keratinocytes.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) allows specific protein-DNA interactions to be isolated. Combining ChIP with high-throughput sequencing reveals the DNA sequence involved in these interactions. Here, we describe how to perform ChIP-seq starting with whole tissues or cell lines, and ending with millions of short sequencing tags that can be aligned to the reference genome of the species under investigation. We also outline additional procedures to recover ChIP-chip libraries for ChIP-seq and discuss contemporary issues in data analysis.

Our understanding of human biology and disease is ultimately dependent on a complete understanding of the genome and its functions. The recent application of microarray and sequencing technologies to transcriptomics has changed the simplistic view of transcriptomes to a more complicated view of genome-wide transcription where a large fraction of transcripts emanates from unannotated parts of genomes, and underlined our limited knowledge of the dynamic state of transcription. Most of this broad body of knowledge was obtained indirectly because current transcriptome analysis methods typically require RNA to be converted to complementary DNA (cDNA) before measurements, even though the cDNA synthesis step introduces multiple biases and artefacts that interfere with both the proper characterization and quantification of transcripts. Furthermore, cDNA synthesis is not particularly suitable for the analysis of short, degraded and/or small quantity RNA samples. Here we report direct single molecule RNA sequencing without prior conversion of RNA to cDNA. We applied this technology to sequence femtomole quantities of poly(A)(+) Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA using a surface coated with poly(dT) oligonucleotides to capture the RNAs at their natural poly(A) tails and initiate sequencing by synthesis. We observed transcript 3' end heterogeneity and polyadenylated small nucleolar RNAs. This study provides a path to high-throughput and low-cost direct RNA sequencing and achieving the ultimate goal of a comprehensive and bias-free understanding of transcriptomes.

The identification of direct nuclear hormone receptor gene targets provides clues to their contribution to both development and cancer progression. Until recently, the identification of such direct target genes has relied on a combination of expression analysis and in silico searches for consensus binding motifs in gene promoters. Consensus binding motifs for transcription factors are often defined using in vitro DNA binding strategies. Such in vitro strategies fail to account for the many factors that contribute significantly to target selection by transcription factors in cells beyond the recognition of these short consensus DNA sequences. These factors include DNA methylation, chromatin structure, posttranslational modifications of transcription factors, and the cooperative recruitment of transcription factor complexes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) provides a means of isolating transcription factor complexes in the context of endogenous chromatin, allowing the identification of direct transcription factor targets. ChIP can be combined with site-specific PCR for candidate binding sites or alternatively with cloning, genomic microarrays or more recently direct high throughput sequencing to identify novel genomic targets. The application of ChIP-based approaches has redefined consensus binding motifs for transcription factors and provided important insights into transcription factor biology.

In order to fully understand the functions of a DNA-binding protein it is necessary to identify all of its binding sites in chromosomes, so that the role of each site in the overall biological function of the factor can be assessed. An approach called ChIP-on-Chip, which combines the chromatin immunoprecipitation technique with chromosomal DNA microarray analysis, has proven to be a powerful means for the chromosome-wide identification of protein binding sites. This approach can also be used to characterize chromosome-wide variations in patterns of post-translational protein modifications, for example histone modifications. This chapter presents methodologies for the ChIP-on-Chip analysis, using as an example the identification of chromosome-wide binding sites for the TATA-binding protein in mitotic cells.

Biochemical methods to analyze co-transcriptional recruitment of co-activators to nascent RNA molecules have lagged behind for many years. Most of the information on co-transcriptional regulation of nascent RNA came from invaluable in situ studies using single-cell model systems. More recently, the chromatin RNA immunoprecipitation technique has been developed to evaluate at the molecular level the association of proteins with nascent RNA which is still coupled to chromatin. Similar to chromatin immunoprecipitation, the chromatin RNA immunoprecipitation method is suitable to study events along specific genes, and it has been successfully used in numerous applications to demonstrate the cross-talk between transcription and RNA processing. This technique has a considerable margin of technological development especially in high-throughput screening experiments in combination with microarrays. In this chapter, we describe a RIP protocol optimized in our laboratory to study association of RNA binding proteins with specific nascent mRNA transcripts.

We describe a novel, simple and low-cost protein microarray strategy wherein the microarrays are generated by printing expression ready plasmid DNAs onto slides that can be converted into protein arrays on-demand. The printed expression plasmids serve dual purposes as they not only direct the synthesis of the protein of interest; they also serve to capture the newly synthesized proteins through a high affinity DNA-protein interaction. To accomplish this we have exploited the high-affinity binding (approximately 3-7 x 10 (-13) M) of E. coli Tus protein to Ter, a 20 bp DNA sequence involved in the regulation of E. coli DNA replication. In our system, each protein of interest is synthesized as a Tus fusion protein and each expression construct directing the protein synthesis contains embedded Ter DNA sequence. The embedded Ter sequence functions as a capture reagent for the newly synthesized Tus fusion protein. This "all DNA" microarray can be converted to a protein microarray on-demand without need for any additional capture reagent.

This unit describes the combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) with microarray hybridization to determine the genome-wide occupancy profile of a DNA-associated protein. After conventional ChIP, the immunoprecipitated material is amplified by a two-step process involving primer extension followed by PCR in the presence of a modified nucleotide. The amplified DNA is fluorescently labeled in a reaction that couples dye to the modified nucleotide, and the labeled sample is hybridized to a microarray representing a complete genome. This method allows the study of a protein's pattern of DNA association across an entire genome with no need for prior knowledge of potential DNA targets. Keywords: Chromatin immunoprecipitation; ChIP; microarray; amplification; PCR; dye coupling; protein-DNA interactions; ChIP-chip; ChIP-on-chip; genome-wide location; hybridization; whole-genome analysis

Interactions between cis-acting elements and proteins play a key role in transcriptional regulation of all known organisms. To better understand these interactions, researchers developed a method that couples chromatin immunoprecipitation with microarrays (also known as ChIP-chip), which is capable of providing a whole-genome map of protein-DNA interactions. This versatile and high-throughput strategy is initiated by formaldehyde-mediated cross-linking of DNA and proteins, followed by cell lysis, DNA fragmentation, and immunopurification. The immunoprecipitated DNA fragments are then purified from the proteins by reverse-cross-linking followed by amplification, labeling, and hybridization to a whole-genome tiling microarray against a reference sample. The enriched signals obtained from the microarray then are normalized by the reference sample and used to generate the whole-genome map of protein-DNA interactions. The protocol described here has been used for discovering the genomewide distribution of RNA polymerase and several transcription factors of Escherichia coli.

In eukaryotic organisms, gene regulatory networks require an additional level of coordination that links transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes. Messenger RNAs have traditionally been viewed as passive molecules in the pathway from transcription to translation. However, it is now clear that RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play a major role in regulating multiple mRNAs to facilitate gene expression patterns. On this basis, post-transcriptional and transcriptional gene expression networks appear to be very analogous. Our previous research focused on targeting RBPs to develop a better understanding of post-transcriptional gene-expression processing and the regulation of mRNA networks. We developed technologies for purifying endogenously formed RBP-mRNA complexes from cellular extracts and identifying the associated messages using genome-scale, microarray technology, a method called ribonomics or RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation-microarray (Chip) profiling or RIP-Chip. The use of the RIP-Chip methods has provided great insight into the infrastructure of coordinated eukaryotic post-transcriptional gene expression, insights which could not have been obtained using traditional RNA expression profiling approaches (1). This chapter describes the most current RIP-Chip techniques as we presently practice them. We also discuss some of the informatic aspects that are unique to analyzing RIP-Chip data.

Reverse transcription of the genetic material of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a critical step in the replication cycle of this virus. This process, catalyzed by reverse transcriptase (RT), is well characterized at the biochemical level. However, in infected cells, reverse transcription occurs in a multiprotein complex – the reverse transcription complex (RTC) – consisting of viral genomic RNA associated with viral proteins (including RT) and, presumably, as yet uncharacterized cellular proteins. Very little is known about the cellular proteins interacting with the RTC, and with reverse transcriptase in particular. We report here that HIV-1 reverse transcription is affected by the levels of a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein – the RNA-binding protein HuR. A direct protein-protein interaction between RT and HuR was observed in a yeast two-hybrid screen and confirmed in vitro by homogenous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF). We mapped the domain interacting with HuR to the RNAse H domain of RT, and the binding domain for RT to the C-terminus of HuR, partially overlapping the third RRM RNA-binding domain of HuR. HuR silencing with specific siRNAs greatly impaired early and late steps of reverse transcription, significantly inhibiting HIV-1 infection. Moreover, by mutagenesis and immunoprecipitation studies, we could not detect the binding of HuR to the viral RNA. These results suggest that HuR may be involved in and may modulate the reverse transcription reaction of HIV-1, by an as yet unknown mechanism involving a protein-protein interaction with HIV-1 RT.

Protein microarray is a powerful tool for identifying disease biomarkers and therapeutical targets, and for systematically studying biological pathways with high efficiency. Although the protein microarray platform has been adopted by proteomic research and discovery, what remains problematic is how to maintain the activities and structures of printed proteins on slide surface. With the recent accomplishments in the R & D laboratory, now scientists around the world are able to preserve the biological functions of spotted proteins for high throughput analysis. Full Moon BioSystems (FMB) has developed general guidelines, which helps scientists efficiently prepare forward as well as reverse-phase protein microarray using FMB's proprietary polymer-coated slides, to obtain reliable and accurate array data with FMB's unique detection and analysis technology.

RNA targets of multitargeted RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) can be studied by various methods including mobility shift assays, iterative in vitro selection techniques and computational approaches. These techniques, however, cannot be used to identify the cellular context within which mRNAs associate, nor can they be used to elucidate the dynamic composition of RNAs in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes in response to physiological stimuli. But by combining biochemical and genomics procedures to isolate and identify RNAs associated with RNA-binding proteins, information regarding RNA–protein and RNA–RNA interactions can be examined more directly within a cellular context. Several protocols — including the yeast three-hybrid system and immunoprecipitations that use physical or chemical cross-linking — have been developed to address this issue. Cross-linking procedures in general, however, are limited by inefficiency and sequence biases. The approach outlined here, termed RNP immunoprecipitation–microarray (RIP-Chip), allows the identification of discrete subsets of RNAs associated with multi-targeted RNA-binding proteins and provides information regarding changes in the intracellular composition of mRNPs in response to physical, chemical or developmental inducements of living systems. Thus, RIP-Chip can be used to identify subsets of RNAs that have related functions and are potentially co-regulated, as well as proteins that are associated with them in RNP complexes. Using RIP-Chip, the identification and/or quantification of RNAs in RNP complexes can be accomplished within a few hours or days depending on the RNA detection method used. *Note: In the version of the article originally published, in the last sentence of the ANTICIPATED RESULTS section, the callout should be to reference 19 instead of 18. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

DNA microarray enables the analysis of DNA or mRNA expression levels, but it has not been possible to completely understand life using obtained information. Consequently, protein or peptide arrays have attracted much interest. Since the development of a practical protein microarray is still far away in light of handling difficulties, the peptide microarray is a promising tool for analyzing protein functions. We have developed a peptide microarray to detect protein kinase activity in cell lysate. All substrate peptides for kinases were immobilized chemoselectively on amino-coated glass slides. After phosphorylation of the immobilized peptides, phosphorylation was detected by fluorescence imaging. We detected the protein kinase activities, including that in cell lysate, in response to drug stimulation. Therefore, this peptide microarray would be useful for a high-throughput kinase assay of intracellular signals and would be applicable to drug screening.

The Hedgehog (Hh)-signaling pathway has been intensively studied in the past decade. Increasing evidence suggests that dynamic formation of protein complexes plays a critical role in the organization and regulation of Hh signaling. Immunoprecipitation (IP) is a powerful tool to study protein-protein interactions and has provided important insights into the regulation of Hh signal transduction. Here, we show how to use IP to study protein-protein interactions in the Drosophila Hh-signaling pathway.

A ligation-based sequencing method reveals distant exon connections within long RNA molecules.

Two transcriptome-scale sequencing methods provide a more complete view of RNA structure in its native context.

RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) uses the capabilities of high-throughput sequencing methods to provide insight into the transcriptome of a cell. Compared to previous Sanger sequencing- and microarray-based methods, RNA-Seq provides far higher coverage and greater resolution of the dynamic nature of the transcriptome. Beyond quantifying gene expression, the data generated by RNA-Seq facilitate the discovery of novel transcripts, identification of alternatively spliced genes, and detection of allele-specific expression. Recent advances in the RNA-Seq workflow, from sample preparation to library construction to data analysis, have enabled researchers to further elucidate the functional complexity of the transcription. In addition to polyadenylated messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts, RNA-Seq can be applied to investigate different populations of RNA, including total RNA, pre-mRNA, and noncoding RNA, such as microRNA and long ncRNA. This article provides an introduction to RNA-Seq methods, including applications, experimental design, and technical challenges.

Background Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins are key regulators of gene expression in response to the interferon (IFN) family of anti-viral and anti-microbial cytokines. We have examined the genomic relationship between STAT1 binding and regulated transcription using multiple tiling microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation microarray (ChIP-chip) experiments from public repositories. Results In response to IFN-γ, STAT1 bound proximally to regions of the genome that exhibit regulated transcriptional activity. This finding was consistent between different tiling microarray platforms, and between different measures of transcriptional activity, including differential binding of RNA polymerase II, and differential mRNA transcription. Re-analysis of tiling microarray data from a recent study of IFN-γ-induced STAT1 ChIP-chip and mRNA expression revealed that STAT1 binding is tightly associated with localized mRNA transcription in response to IFN-γ. Close relationships were also apparent between STAT1 binding, STAT2 binding, and mRNA transcription in response to IFN-α. Furthermore, we found that sites of STAT1 binding within the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) region are precisely correlated with sites of either enhanced or diminished binding by the RNA polymerase II complex. Conclusion Together, our results indicate that STAT1 binds proximally to regions of the genome that exhibit regulated transcriptional activity. This finding establishes a generalized basis for the positioning of STAT1 binding sites within the genome, and supports a role for STAT1 in the direct recruitment of the RNA polymerase II complex to the promoters of IFN-γ-responsive genes.

Similar to chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) can be used to detect the association of individual proteins with specific nucleic acid regions, in this case on RNA. Live cells are treated with formaldehyde to generate protein-RNA cross-links between molecules that are in close proximity in vivo. RNA sequences that cross-link with a given protein are isolated by immunoprecipitation of the protein, and reversal of the formaldehyde cross-linking permits recovery and quantitative analysis of the immunoprecipitated RNA by reverse transcription PCR. The basics of RIP are very similar to those of ChIP, but with some important caveats. This unit describes the RIP procedure for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although the corresponding steps for metazoan cells have not yet been worked out, it is likely that the yeast procedure can easily be adapted for use in other organisms.

cDNA microarray analysis is highly useful for monitoring genome-wide changes in gene expression that occur in biological processes. Current standards require that microarray observations be verified by quantitative (Q)-PCR or other techniques. Few studies have optimized Q-PCR for verification of microarray findings. The current study assessed several variables affecting Q-PCR fidelity, including RNA extraction methods, mRNA enrichment, primers for reverse transcription, and cDNA amplification detection methods. Also assessed was the choice of reference gene on which other gene expression changes are based. The RNA for ribosomal protein S28 was found to be ideal for this purpose, with minimal variance in expression among isogenic drug-resistant cell lines. We also found that oligo (dT) primers were superior to random hexamers and that RNA extracted by the RNeasy method gave consistent S28 gene amplification without the need for mRNA enrichment, particularly when TaqMan probes were used. Nevertheless, sensitivity was sufficiently high with SYBR Green I that it was the preferred, least costly method for amplification product detection, even for low-abundance transcripts. Using the optimal method, 91-95% of the differences in gene expression identified between the cell lines by cDNA microarray analysis could be confirmed by Q-PCR, significantly superior to previously described methods.

Sequential Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (SeqChIP) is a powerful technique for analyzing the simultaneous association of two different proteins with genomic DNA sequences in vivo. Cellular Protein-DNA complexes are cross-linked with formaldehyde (unit Unavailable ), and are purified via two successive immunoprecipitations, with each immunoprecipitation targeting a different protein. Protein-DNA cross-links are then reversed and DNA sequences of interest are analyzed by quantitative PCR. At each genomic region, calculated SeqChIP co-occupancy values are compared to occupancy values of singly immunoprecipitated samples. The extent of enrichment brought about by the second immunoprecipitation relative to the singly immunoprecipitated sample is directly correlated with the degree of co-occupancy between the two proteins at the genomic location assayed. In principle, the technique is not limited to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cells from a wide variety of organisms can be used. Keywords: chromatin; immunoprecipitation; protein-DNA interactions; in vivo crosslinking

Several DNA/RNA sequencing strategies have been developed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). In the reverse Sanger sequencing approach alpha-thiophosphate-containing NTPs are employed. Sequencing ladders are produced by the subsequent exonuclease cleavage, which is inhibited by the alpha-S-NTP at the 3' terminus. Here the reverse Sanger sequencing of RNA is described. The stability of RNA during the UV-MALDI process is higher relative to DNA, and RNA can be easily synthesized by transcription using bacteriophage RNA polymerase. alpha-S-rNTP was added to the reaction in a ratio of 1:3 to the native rNTPs and was incorporated statistically by the RNA polymerase. Four separate sequence ladders were produced, to avoid the problem of the only 1u mass difference between uridine and cytidine. However, it was shown that RNA transcription does not produce homogeneous transcripts. Therefore isolation of the full-length transcript is required to attain a non-ambiguous interpretation of cleavage spectra. This is achieved by the exclusive immobilization of the full-length transcript on a solid phase. The full-length transcripts were hybridized to magnetic beads, coated with short universal sequences, complementary to the in vitro RNA. After purification and isolation the RNA full-length transcript is cleaved by snake venom phosphodiesterase (SVP) and the obtained sequence ladder is analyzed by MALDI-MS.

The use of cell-free expression systems as an alternative to cell-based methods for protein production is greatly facilitating studies of protein functions. Recent improvements to cell-free systems, and the development of cell-free protein display and microarray technologies, have led to cell-free protein synthesis becoming a powerful tool for large-scale analysis of proteins. This paper reviews the most commonly used cell-free systems and their applications in proteomics.

Background The requirement of a large amount of high-quality RNA is a major limiting factor for microarray experiments using biopsies. An average microarray experiment requires 10–100 μg of RNA. However, due to their small size, most biopsies do not yield this amount. Several different approaches for RNA amplification in vitro have been described and applied for microarray studies. In most of these, systematic analyses of the potential bias introduced by the enzymatic modifications are lacking. Results We examined the sources of error introduced by the T7 RNA polymerase based RNA amplification method through hybridisation studies on microarrays and performed statistical analysis of the parameters that need to be evaluated prior to routine laboratory use. The results demonstrate that amplification of the RNA has no systematic influence on the outcome of the microarray experiment. Although variations in differential expression between amplified and total RNA hybridisations can be observed, RNA amplification is reproducible, and there is no evidence that it introduces a large systematic bias. Conclusions Our results underline the utility of the T7 based RNA amplification for use in microarray experiments provided that all samples under study are equally treated.

Background: DNA microarray technology has permitted the analysis of global gene expression profiles for several diseases, including cancer. However, standard hybridisation and detection protocols require micrograms of mRNA for microarray analysis, limiting broader application of this technology to small excisional biopsies, needle biopsies, and/or microdissected tissue samples. Therefore, linear amplification protocols to increase the amount of RNA have been developed. The correlation between the results of microarray experiments derived from non-amplified RNA and amplified samples needs to be evaluated in detail. Methods: Total RNA was amplified and replicate hybridisation experiments were performed with linearly amplified (aRNA) and non-amplified mRNA from tonsillar B cells and the SUDHL-6 cell line using cDNA microarrays containing approximately 4500 genes. The results of microarray differential expression using either source of RNA (mRNA or aRNA) were also compared with those found using real time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR). Results: Microarray experiments using aRNA generated reproducible data displaying only small differences to data obtained from non-amplified mRNA. The quality of the starting total RNA template and the concentration of the promoter primer used to synthesise cDNA were crucial components of the linear amplification reaction. Approximately 80% of selected upregulated and downregulated genes identified by microarray analysis using linearly amplified RNA were confirmed by QRT-PCR using non-amplified mRNA as the starting template. Conclusions: Linear RNA amplification methods can be used to generate high fidelity microarray expression data of comparable quality to data generated by microarray methods that use non-amplified mRNA samples.

Many biochemical experiments depend on the measurement of the amount of an enzyme (or other protein) independently of any enzymatic activity it may have. When working with cell-free extracts or other complex mixtures this is not simple to do, and most procedures that have general application involve the use of antibodies. Two distinct strategies have been used to good effect. The amount of antibody bound can be made to reflect amount of antigen, as in an ELISA assay (ref. 1 and Vol. 1 of this series) or in a "Western blot" (ref. 2 and Chapters 28 and 29 in this volume). Alternatively, the antibody can be used effectively to purify the antigen protein. The method described here is of the latter sort and has advantages of simplicity and rapidity both over ELISA and blotting techniques, on the one hand, and indirect precipitation techniques on the other.

The function of a protein in gene expression can often be explained, in part, by the location of that protein along a specific gene sequence. In recent years, the chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay has been developed to study the association of proteins located within 2 A of DNA such as transcription factors and modified histones. Numerous important findings have been published using the ChIP assay and many questions about transcription have been answered. In this article, we present the ChIP assay currently used in our lab and discuss the various ways to optimize this assay for one's own use.

The biological materials available for cDNA microarray studies are often limiting. Thus, protocols have been developed to amplify RNAs isolated from limited amounts of tissues or cells. RNA amplification by in vitro transcription is the most widely used among the available amplification protocols. Two means of generating a dsDNA template for the RNA polymerase are a combination of reverse transcription with conventional second-strand cDNA synthesis and a combination of the switch mechanism at the 5′ end of RNA templates (SMART) with reverse transcription, followed by PCR. To date, there has been no systematic comparison of the efficiency of the two amplification strategies. In this study, we performed and analyzed a set of six microarray experiments involving the use of a “regular” (unamplified) microarray experimental protocol and two different RNA amplification protocols. Based on their ability to identify differentially expressed genes and assuming that the results from the regular protocol are correct, our analyses demonstrated that both amplification protocols achieved reproducible and reliable results. From the same amount of starting material, our results also indicated that more amplified RNA can be obtained using conventional second-strand cDNA synthesis than from the combination of SMART and PCR. When the critical issue is the amount of starting RNA, we recommend the conventional second-strand cDNA synthesis as the preferred amplification method.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes methods for the use of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) in the genome-wide identification of binding sites in mammalian cells. This approach combines the adaptation of ChIP in the enrichment of mammalian transcription factor target genes with DNA microarray technology. This method enable researchers to overcome limitations in the study of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation by allowing the identification of direct, physiological targets of DNA-binding proteins in an unbiased, genome-wide manner. Genome-wide location analysis is based on the rapid purification of specific genomic fragments associated with a particular protein followed by detection of enriched sequences withDNA microarray technology. This method is a direct, high-throughput and general approach to locate protein-DNA interactions in mammalian cells. Since most transcription factors function by binding to DNA and regulating gene expression, this method allows for the rapid, specific identification of physiologically relevant target genes and provide key insights into the molecular mechanisms through which it functions.

Protein-RNA interactions play indispensable structural, catalytic, and regulatory roles within the cell. Understanding their physical association in vivo provides valuable insight into their assembly, function, and regulation in the cellular milieu. Inspired by the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we have developed a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) immunoprecipitation assay to study RNA-protein interactions in vivo. This method takes advantage of the highly reactive, reversible crosslinker formaldehyde, combined with high-stringency immunoprecipitation to identify specific RNAs associated with a given protein. The RNP immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay was developed using RNA-protein interactions of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) as a model system. HDV is an RNA virus with a single-stranded circular RNA genome that encodes one viral protein, hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg). The high affinity of HDAg for the HDV RNA genome, combined with the well-characterized anti-HDAg antibodies, made this system a logical starting point for the development of the RIP assay. Cells with replicating HDV were crosslinked with formaldehyde and the HDV RNPs were immunoprecipitated using anti-HDAg antibodies. The crosslinks were then reversed by heat treatment, and the immunoprecipitated HDV RNAs were identified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The specificity of this assay was tested using HDV mutants and heterologous antibodies for immunoprecipiation followed by RT-PCR with HDV-specific primers. This experiment showed no nonspecific immunoprecipitation of the HDV RNPs. The method was tested further using protein-RNA interactions known to exist in the U1 snRNP. The results indicate that the RIP assay is a powerful tool to identify RNA-protein interactions in vivo and has the potential to unravel the cellular network of RNP complexes in their native setting.

DNA microarrays are a powerful tool to investigate differential gene expression for thousands of genes simultaneously. Although DNA microarrays have been widely used to understand the critical events underlying growth, development, homeostasis, behavior and the onset of disease, the management of the resulting data has received little attention. Presently, the fluorescent dyes Cy3 and Cy5 are most often used to prepare labeled cDNA for microarray hybridizations. Raw microarray data are image files that have to be transformed into gene expression formats &#173, a process that requires data manipulation due to systematic variations which may be attributed to differences in the physical and chemical dye characteristics. Since the goal of most microarray applications is to identify differences in transcript levels calculated from fluorescence ratios it is necessary to normalize fluorescence signals to compensate for systematic variations. Here, we will review current normalization strategies applied to cDNA microarrays and discuss their limits. We will show that experimental design determines normalization success.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a technique for identifying and characterizing elements in protein-DNA interactions involved in gene regulation or chromatin organization. Microarray platforms provide a method for 'global' ChIP analysis, but direct sequencing of enriched fragments has proven a more effective means for determining locations of DNA-binding proteins along the genome in an unbiased manner. The massively parallel sequencing capacity, high accuracy and flexibility of the SOLiD™ system make it well suited for ChIP-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) applications.