Rabbit Reticulocyte Lysate Technical Manual

Literature # TM232

Rabbit Reticulocyte Lysate Translation Systems are used in the identification of mRNA species, the characterization of their protein products and the investigation of transcriptional and translational control. Rabbit Reticulocyte Lysate is prepared from New Zealand white rabbits using a standard protocol that ensures reliable and consistent reticulocyte production in each lot. The reticulocytes are purified to remove contaminating cells, which could otherwise alter the translational properties of the final extract. After the reticulocytes are lysed, the extract is treated with micrococcal nuclease to destroy endogenous mRNA and thus reduce background translation to a minimum. The lysate contains the cellular components necessary for protein synthesis (tRNA, ribosomes, amino acids, initiation, elongation and termination factors).
Rabbit Reticulocyte Lysate may contain a variety of post-translational processing activities, including acetylation, isoprenylation and some phosphorylation activity. Processing events such as signal peptide cleavage and core glycosylation can be examined by adding Canine Pancreatic Microsomal Membranes (Cat.# Y4041) to a standard translation reaction.