Toeprint
Toeprint is a term used in molecular biology to describe a reverse-transcription based assay that reveals the position of ribosomes on messenger RNA during translation. In a toeprinting experiment, a labeled primer anneals to a defined region of the mRNA and reverse transcriptase extends the cDNA. When a ribosome is bound to the mRNA, the enzyme stalls, producing a truncated cDNA fragment—the toeprint. By comparing the length of the toeprint to sequencing ladders, researchers infer the ribosome’s position on the transcript.
Applications of toeprinting include mapping translation initiation sites, studying start codon selection and ribosome scanning, and
Procedure overview typically involves an in vitro or extract-based translation system, a defined mRNA region, a
History and terminology indicate that toeprinting emerged in the 1980s as a practical approach to study translation