Small RNA Solexa sequencing of Chinese sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.). Nelumbo nucifera

The total RNA were extracted from pooled tissues of leaves and flowers from several plants of sacred lotus using TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then small RNAs ranging in 18–30 nucleotides were size fractionated electrophoretically, isolated from the gel, ligated with the 5′ and 3′ RNA adapters. The ligated product was reverse transcribed and subsequently amplified using 10–12 PCR cycles. The purified PCR product was sequenced using Illumina Genome Analyzer II. The qualified reads were used to predict phased small interfering RNAs from Chinese sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.). Overall design: Identification of phased small inferfering RNAs in Chinese sacred lotus by analyzing small RNA sequencing profiles of leaves and flowers using Illumina GAII.