Rapid purification of biologically active individual histone messenger RNAs by hybridization to cloned DNA linked to cellulose

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Abstract
A rapid and simple method for the purification of biologically active mRNA is described. The method allows the isolation in a few hours of specific mRNA from either whole cell or polysomal RNA even if the RNA represents < 1% of the starting molecules. As a model, cloned sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) histone gene fragments linked to cellulose by the method of Noyes and stark (1975) were used as hybridization probes to isolate specific histone mRNA from whole cell and polysomal RNA extracts. RNA isolated in this manner maintain their biological activity, serving as templates for histone proteins in a wheat-germ, cell-free protein translation system. Radiolabeled histone-specific RNA purified from cleavage stage sea urchin embryos, pulse labeled for short periods of time and analyzed on denaturing polyacrylamide gels, was the same size as mature histone mRNA.