MS2 tagging is a technique based upon the natural interaction of the MS2 bacteriophage coat protein with a stem-loop structure from the phage genome,[1] which is used for biochemical purification of RNA-protein complexes and partnered to GFP for detection of RNA in living cells.
Start with single-stranded RNA, and create a pattern of stem-loop structures by adding copies of the MS2 RNA-binding sequences to a noncoding region.
[7] Advantages: The MS2-BioTRAP method is fast, flexible, and easy to set up; it scales well and allows the study of the physiological conditions of the protein-RNA interactions.
[7] The MS2 tag is also effective for small molecules when an MS2 coat protein is used to isolate a variety of ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs).
[5] Additionally, the small noncoding RNA (sRNA) expression levels and regulatory properties will be influenced by MS2 tag.