COLD-PLAQUE SCREENING - A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE FOR THE ISOLATION OF LOW ABUNDANCE, DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED TRANSCRIPTS FROM CONVENTIONAL CDNA LIBRARIES

We report here a simple method for obtaining organor tissue-specific clones from a cDNA library which are represented at low or medium abundance in the mRNA pool. An anther cDNA library has been screened for anther-specific clones using a new technique we have called cold-plaque screening. Using cold-plaque screening we have confirmed the prediction that a large proportion (40%) of unique transcripts in the anther are organ-specific but that the majority are of low abundance and therefore not identified by conventional differential screening.