Isolation of Double-Stranded RNAs by Lithium Chloride Fractionation

This procedure provides a comprehensive method for isolating double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that relies on the different solubility of various nucleic acids in lithium chloride (LiC1). The approach offers several notable advantages including simplicity, avoidance of enzymatic treatments, and the ability to obtain relatively high yields of undegraded dsRNA over other conventional techniques. Moreover, it allows for the separation of different groups of cellular and viral nucleic acids from a single tissue sample. This method was further improved to increase the purity of dsRNA using plant tissues infected by RNA viruses.