Isolation of microRNA targets using biotinylated synthetic microRNAs.

MicroRNAs are small regulatory RNAs found in multicellular organisms where they post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. In animals, microRNAs bind mRNAs via incomplete base pairings making the identification of microRNA targets inherently difficult. Here, we present a detailed method for experimental identification of microRNA targets based on affinity purification of tagged microRNAs associated with their targets.