Isolation and detection of small RNAs from pollen

Abstract

In the last decade, the accumulation and roles of small RNAs have been slowly uncovered. Recently, the RNA silencing pathways active in the male gametophyte of plants have started to be analyzed in depth. Although several studies have shed light on the small RNA populations present in the pollen, we still lack a clear picture of their regulatory activity. This chapter outlines an extraction method of mature pollen grains and its different downstream applications for the purification and detection of small RNAs.