Explain how messenger RNA (mRN
A) can be purified from mixtures containing
structural RNA.
When mRNA is transcribed from a DNA gene, multiple adenines, the "poly-A tail," are added to the 3' end of
mRNA in eukaryotes. The poly-A tail is unique to mRNA and structural RNA lacks these multiple adenines. Since
the complementary nucleotide to adenine is thymine, a string of thymine nucleotides can capture mRNA from a
mixture. Typically, a chromatography column is constructed with short chains of thymines on the stationary phase.
An RNA mixture is passed through the column, and mRNA would be retained in the column while other RNAs
would elute. Since hydrogen bonds join the adenine and thymine nucleotides, they are relatively easy to break with
a low salt wash. The mRNA can then be collected and further purified by ethanol precipitation.
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