Published by Miho Shiokawa on
How do you quantify newly synthesized RNA? There are several ways to detect synthesized RNA, but these methods can be inaccurate due to toxicity.
BrdU (5-Bromo-2-Deoxyuridine) is a derivative of uridine. It is commonly used to detect newly synthesized DNA using antibodies against BrdU. BrdU incorporation is frequently used in proliferation assays to study DNA repair, sister chromatid exchange, and the cytokinetics of normal and neoplastic cells.
BrU (5-Bromouridine) is a uridine analogue, same as BrdU, and is used to study RNA synthesis. Toxicity of BrU for newly synthesized RNA in living cells is lower than other analogues such as EU (5-Ethynyl Uridine) and 4sU (4-Thiouridine). However, the limitation of antibody based BrU labeled RNA extraction is the performance of existing antibodies.
MBL offers an anti-BrdU antibody that has cross reactivity with BrU. We developed a comprehensive 5-bromouridine immunoprecipitation chase (BRIC) kit to detect RNA synthesis using this antibody. The principle is similar to BrdU analysis.
The RNA half-life of housekeeping genes tends to be longer than regulatory genes such as cell cycle regulators, cytokines, transcription factors and oncoproteins. Classification of RNAs by half-life may contribute to discover novel RNA biomarkers and targets of drugs. BRIC kit is a powerful tool for RNA metabolism analysis.
The following are RNA-immunoprecipitation based kits that utilize MBL’s anti-BrdU antibody and will further help your RNA research:
BRIC Kit
BRIC Kit: BRIC Kit
RiboTrap Kit: RiboTrap
Anti-BrdU mAb: MI-11-3