HIGHLY SENSITIVE NORTHERN HYBRIDIZATION USING A RAPID PROTOCOL FOR DOWNWARD ALKALINE BLOTTING OF RNA

A simple and fast RNA gel blot procedure is described that uses 50 mM NaOH to simultaneously transfer and fix RNA to a positively charged ny lon membrane. The RNA is transferred in a downward direction, and tran sfer is routinely completed within 2.5 h. The resulting blots give inc reased sensitivity over existing methods without affecting RNA integri ty and can be used in both radioactive and nonradioactive detection pr ocedures.