Chapter 12. Analysis of nonfunctional ribosomal RNA decay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mature rRNA are normally extremely stable in rapidly growing cells. However, studies show that some mature rRNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are, in fact, turned over quite rapidly by the nonfunctional rRNA decay (NRD) pathway. NRD eliminates the RNA component of mature but defective ribosomal subunits and ribosomes. NRD was discovered using rDNA reporter plasmids to express and track the fate of rRNA containing mutations in functionally important regions of the ribosome. This chapter outlines some of the available rDNA reporter plasmids that can be used to study NRD and describes assays to test for functionality and stability of rRNA in yeast.