Quantification of mRNA in Neuronal Tissue by Northern Analysis

RNA is transcribed in the cell nucleus from a DNA template with ribonucleotides as the building blocks. As RNA is transported out of the nucleus, it is spliced; that is, predetermined sequences (introns) are cut out of the transcript. If certain introns serve as either exons or introns, “alternative splicing” can occur and one gene can give rise to several different size RNA transcripts. The spliced RNA, the mRNA, is released into the cytosol and translated into protein.