Extracting viral RNAs from plant protoplasts.

The analysis of viral RNA is a fundamental aspect of plant RNA virus research. Studies that focus on viral RNAs often involve virus infections of plant protoplasts (see UNITS 16D.1-16D.4). Protoplast offer the advantage of simultaneous initiation of infections, which allows for superior temporal and quantitative analyses of viral RNAs. The efficient isolation of intact viral RNA is key to any such investigations. This unit describes two basic protocols for extracting viral RNAs from plant protoplasts. An approach for preparing double-stranded viral RNA from total RNA pools is also provided. The viral RNA prepared by using these techniques can be used for further analyses such as primer extension, reverse transcription-PCR, and northern blotting.