Separating and Analyzing Sulfur-Containing RNAs with Organomercury Gels

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is a widely used technique for RNA analysis and purification. The polyacrylamide matrix is highly versatile for chemical derivitization, enabling facile exploitation of thio-mercury chemistry without the need of tedious manipulations and/or expensive coupling reagents, which often give low yields and side products. Here, we describe the use of [(N -acryloylamino)phenyl]mercuric chloride in three-layered polyacrylamide gels to detect, separate, quantify, and analyze sulfur-containing RNAs.