Reflected light microscopy is often referred to as incident light, epi-illumination, or metallurgical microscopy, and is the method of choice for fluorescence and for imaging specimens that remain opaque even when ground to a thickness of 30 microns. - [Read Reflected Light Microscopy]
A powerful way to identify a mutation in the gene of interest and to test mutant plants for phenotypes that are predicted to result from loss of function of that gene is by PCR screening. Pools of insertion lines are screened using one primer corresponding to the gene of interest and one primer corresponding to the end of the insertion element. The synthesis of a product indicates the presence of an insertion in the gene of interest. - [Read Screening DNA Pools for T-DNA Insertions in Arabidopsis Genes Protocol]
Single Nucleotide Primer Extension can be used for the analysis of methylation in a certain position. Treat DNA with bisulphite and then anneal a primer which ends immediately before the site of analysis. Dr. A. Gratchev Methods.info - [Read Singel Nucleotide Primer Extension (SNuPE)]
Protocol describes the preparation of subtracted cDNA probes by hybridization to an mRNA driver, followed by purification of the single-stranded radiolabeled cDNA by hydroxyapatite chromatography. Before preparing the probe, it is a good idea to have filters (which contain the cDNA library to be screened) ready to hybridize. - [Read Synthesis of Radiolabeled, Subtracted cDNA Probes Using Oligo(dT) as a Primer Protocol]
A synthetic oligonucleotide annealed to single-stranded DNA derived from a recombinant bacteriophage M13 or phagemid template is used to prime the synthesis of complementary radiolabeled DNA. Synthesis is catalyzed by the Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I, which extends the annealed primer for various distances along the single-stranded template DNA. - [Read Synthesis of Single-stranded DNA Probes of Defined Length from Bacteriophage M13 Templates Protocol]
Technique yields a heterogeneous population of short radiolabeled molecules 200-300 nucleotides in length. These probes are synthesized, as in Synthesis of Single-stranded DNA Probes of Defined Length from Bacteriophage M13 Templates, by extension of an oligonucleotide primer on a single-stranded DNA template. The radiolabeled products of the reaction are then separated from the template by electrophoresis through a denaturing gel from which they are eluted directly into hybridization buffer. - [Read Synthesis of Single-stranded DNA Probes of Heterogeneous Length from Bacteriophage M13 Templates]
DNA microarrays are an ordered arrangement of DNA molecules complementary to genes of interest that are "spotted" by robotic equipment onto a glass slide substrate. The expression of genes in cells can be monitored with microarrays by preparing cDNA from the mRNA of cells of interest and measuring the hybridization to the microarray. This protocol describes the labeling of genomic DNA for use as a probe for hybridization to the cDNA spotted on the array.
This Microarray Protocol Preparation of Fluorescent DNA Probes from Human mRNA protocol describes the production of probes labeled with the fluorescent dyes, Cy3 and Cy5, following the synthesis of cDNA from human mRNA and the hybridization of the probes to DNA microarrays.
3' Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends RACE Using PCR Protocol. This protocol contains the steps for 3' end rapid amplification of mRNA by PCR. The first-strand cDNA is synthesized from total or poly(A+) RNA by priming from the poly-A tail of the mRNA using a oligo (dT) adaptor primer. The cDNA is then amplified via PCR using a gene-specific primer and an adaptor primer.