Isolation of Arabidopsis nuclei and measurement of gene transcription rates using nuclear run-on assays

Isolation of transcriptionally active nuclei from plant tissues is a fundamental first step in many plant molecular biology protocols. Enriched nuclear fractions may be used in "run-on'' assays to measure the rate of transcription for any given gene, adding additional resolution to assays of steady-state transcript accumulation such as RNA-gel blots, RT-PCR or microarrays. The protocols presented here streamline, adapt and optimize existing methods for use in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant materials are ground in hexylene glycol-based buffers and highly enriched nuclear fractions are obtained using Percoll density gradients. Standard and small-scale protocols are presented, along with a tested method for nuclear run-on assays. The entire process may be completed within 3 days. This capability complements the immense body of steady-state transcript measurements and indirectly identifies instances where message turnover may have a critical and/or primary role in regulating gene expression levels.