The transcriptome is the complete set of transcripts, including mRNA, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and small RNAs (miRNAs, piRNAs, snoRNAs) that exist within a cell for a specific developmental stage or physiological condition. By studying the complexity of eukaryotic transciptomes, researchers hope to determine the transcriptional structure of genes, splicing patterns and post-transcriptional modifications that may play a role in development and disease. Various technologies have been developed to explore the transcriptome and to quantify changes in expression levels during development and under different physiological conditions. These methods include reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), microarrays and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).
Active Motif offers RNA isolation kits to prepare RNA samples from cultured cells or tissue for transcriptome profiling. The RNA Subcellular Isolation Kit purifies separate fractions of nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA. By isolating RNA from specific subcellular fractions, low abundance transcripts can be more easily detected. This method improves functional understanding of lncRNA transcripts by localizing the lncRNA to its site of action.