ENHANCEMENT OF RESOLUTION OF LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT RNA PROFILES BY STAIRCASE ELECTROPHORESIS

Stable low molecular weight (LMW) RNA comprises molecules used in the taxonomy of microorganisms and in studies on the microbial diversity o f populations. However, the use of electrophoretic techniques has been hampered due to the low resolution obtained with techniques used for the separation of this kind of molecule. In this work we develop an el ectrophoretic method (staircase electrophoresis) that increases the re solution of the technique. This improvement in the resolution adequate ly resolves the three zones that integrate the profiles of LMW RNA: ri bosomic 5S RNA (5S rRNA), class 2 transfer RNA (tRNA), and class 1 tra nsfer RNA, allowing the technique to be applied to taxonomic studies ( diagnostic, the identification of the individuals), phylogenetic studi es and studies on naturally occurring microbial populations.