The method described here enables the high-throughput identification of cleaved mRNA targets of ARGONAUTE/small RNA complexes. The protocol is based on a modified 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends combined with deep sequencing of 3' cleavage products of mRNAs. Poly(A) RNA is purified from the tissue of interest which is followed by a 5'-RNA adapter ligation. The ligated products are then reverse transcribed, amplified, and digested with MmeI. After gel separation, a 3' double-stranded DNA adapter is ligated to the fragments, which are then amplified and index labeled for the high-throughput sequencing of pooled degradome libraries. Sequencing datasets from pooled libraries can be analyzed with different bioinformatic approaches.
