Ubiquitous mammalian enzymes can scavenge uracil analogs, leading to non-specific background in cell-type-specific RNA labeling. This work reveals the enzymes involved and describes the uridine/cytidine kinase 2 and 2′-azidouridine pair as a highly specific and non-toxic alternative.
- Sarah Nainar
- Bonnie J. Cuthbert
- Robert C. Spitale
