Figure 5.

Quantitation of miR-172 foreign RNA detectable by PCR in different segments of the digestive system (A–C), in peripheral blood (D) spleen (E). Fifty micrograms of small RNA (19–100 nt) was given to 2- to 4-month-old mice. As indicated, at times after feeding, the RNA was extracted (1) from the contents of the stomach (A), intestine (B), feces (C), blood (D) or spleen (E). The persisting small RNA was identified by PCR. Considering the fraction of the total re-extracted RNA from gut segments, blood or tissue submitted to the PCR, percentages (scales on right) of the 50 μg of orally administered small RNA were calculated. The scales in approximate copies on the left referred to the actual copies for reference quantitative PCR.