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Nature Biotechnology 23, 232–237 (1 February 2005) | doi:10.1038/nbt1061

Biosynthetic labeling of RNA with uracil phosphoribosyltransferase allows cell-specific microarray analysis of mRNA synthesis and decay

Michael D Cleary , Christopher D Meiering , Eric Jan , Rebecca Guymon & John C Boothroyd

Standard microarrays measure mRNA abundance, not mRNA synthesis, and therefore cannot identify the mechanisms that regulate gene expression. We have developed a method to overcome this limitation by using the salvage enzyme uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) from the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii.