New method for RNA isolation from actinomycetes: application to the transcriptional analysis of the alcohol oxidoreductase gene thcE in Rhodococcus and Mycobacterium.

A new protocol for the isolation of RNA from Rhodococcus and other actinomycetes such as Mycobacterium and Amycolatopsis was developed. The method is based on rapid lysis of cells in a high-speed reciprocal shaker using small abrasive particles followed by spin column purification of the lysate. This quick procedure yields RNA preparations suitable for functional studies. This was shown for the thcE gene of R. erythropolis NI86/21, which encodes a N,N'-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline-dependent alcohol oxidoreductase. The thcE transcript was detected by Northern hybridization in R. erythropolis, R. fascians, Mycobacterium chlorophenolicum and Mycobacterium smegmatis. The transcriptional start point of the gene was determined by primer extension of the R. erythropolis mRNA.