Molecular profiling of activated neurons by phosphorylated ribosome capture [Illumina BeadArray]

We report that phosphorylated ribosomes can be immunoprecipitated from mouse brain homogenates, enriching for mRNAs that were selectively expressed in activated neurons Mice were given an injection of concentrated salt solution (2M NaCl, 325 uL) or PBS, and then sacrificed 2h later and hypothalami dissected. Tissue homogenates were prepared from hypothalamus and phosphorylated ribosomes immunoprecipitated using pS6 244/247 antibodies. The immunoprecipitated RNA and total RNA from both control and salt treated animals were then purified and analyzed by Illumina Microarray.