RNA-PAGE-Based Diagnosis of Viral Diseases

Regardless of low resources, many of the techniques have proven indispensable in every laboratory around the world, particularly in developing countries. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is one of them, and it is a useful tool for studying RNA from biological samples. PAGE can provide information on the size, content, and quality of RNA, as well as resolving RNA-protein complexes, depending on the type of PAGE used. In the presence of an electric current, RNAs move toward the anode because they are negatively charged. The polyacrylamide gel works as a sieve, preventing RNA from migrating in proportion to its mass, assuming that its mass is primarily proportionate to its charge. Furthermore, because the chain length is almost proportional to its mass, the length of an RNA is usually governed by its migration. This chapter outlines the detailed step-by-step procedures for setting up instruments, preparing samples, loading and running samples on gels, staining gels, and lastly visualizing stained gels.