Electron Microscope Visualization of RNA Transcription and Processing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Miller Chromatin Spreading

The Miller chromatin spreading technique for electron microscopic visualization of gently dispersed interphase chromatin has proven extremely valuable for analysis of genetic activities in vivo. It provides a unique view of transcription and RNA processing at the level of individual active genes. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has also been an invaluable model system for geneticists and molecular biologists. In this chapter, we describe methods for applying the Miller chromatin-spreading method to Saccharomyces cerevisiae . This allows one to use electron microscopic visualization of a gene of interest to study effects of specific mutations on gene activity. We are applying the method to study transcription and processing of ribosomal RNA.