Cell type-specific analysis of mRNA synthesis and decay in vivo with uracil phosphoribosyltransferase and 4-thiouracil.

Microarray-based analysis of mRNA expression has provided a genome-wide understanding of the genes and pathways involved in many biological processes. However, two limitations are often associated with traditional microarray experiments. First, standard methods of microarray analysis measure mRNA abundance, not mRNA synthesis or mRNA decay, and, therefore, do not provide any information regarding the mechanisms regulating transcript levels.