Science method

RNA Isolation - Science method

A forum to discuss and share methods regarding the extraction and purification of RNA.
Questions related to RNA Isolation
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We found that we have this kit from Qiagen but labelled for serum/plasma samples. Can I isolate RNA from frozen cells pellet of MCF7 and MDA-MB231 cell lines using an RNA isolation kit intended for serum/plasma use?
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Thank you so much
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We tried to RNA isolation from semen samples using trizol method but we didn't get good quantity of RNA.
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did you used centrifuge at 3k g ? if so you can try the 10k.g so that the lysis will be improved .
i saw this research paper about high Efficiency RNA extraction , it can help you :
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RNA isolation from the plant leaf samples.
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You are near the saturation point with 4M stock solution of GT. Slightly warming up should get it into solution; or as the previous author suggested, just use a lower stock concentration and recalculate your dilution.
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Hi everyone,
I’m planning to extract total RNA from Staphylococcus samples for transcriptomic profiling, but this is my first time doing RNA extraction. I’ve heard great things about the QIAGEN RNeasy kits, but the cost is a bit steep, especially when factoring in the RNAprotect Reagent and DNase Set.
I came across the NEB Monarch Total RNA Miniprep Kit, which includes gDNA Removal Columns and DNase I at a more affordable price point. Does anyone have experience with the NEB kit? How does it compare to the RNeasy in terms of performance and ease of use?
Thanks in advance!
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The kit was pretty user friendly but it didn't work well for my particular samples (leaves with high phenolic content).
NEB will often send a small sample-sized kit of many of their products. You could reach out to their customer service as well and ask if anyone has used it for your organism.
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I am using TRIzol reagent for RNA isolation from alginate encapsulated cells. I am getting good concentration ( 750ng/ul) but poor RIN ( between3-4).
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Hi Vivek,
I need to find out what system you are using or how your samples are coming to you, so I hope this answer helps. To improve RNA quality and achieve a good RIN (RNA Integrity Number), prioritize proper sample collection and handling by quickly freezing tissues in liquid nitrogen, using RNA stabilization solutions like RNAlater, thoroughly homogenizing samples in a chaotropic lysis buffer, and ensuring all labware and solutions are RNase-free; the best assay system for assessing RNA quality is typically an Agilent Bioanalyzer, which uses a proprietary algorithm to calculate the RIN based on the electrophoretic profile of the RNA sample on a microfluidic chip.
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Hello,
I have extracted DNA from my soil samples (dry and sandy) through two different extraction kit (both from Qiagen)
1) by DNeasy PowerSoil Kit
2) by Total RNA Isolation kit (DNA eluting after RNA isolation through eluting buffer).
I got huge difference in extracted DNA concentration. Total RNA Isolation kit did not have good amount of DNA, but same soil sample had really good DNA concentration when extracted by PowerSoil kit.
Does anyone know what is problem here and which result can be more reliable?
Thanks
Milan
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Hey Shiuly Bhowmick,
Are you using a total RNA extraction kit with a DNA ellution as added step or powersoil DNA extraction kit? Lower DNA extraction efficiency could be associated with many things, like total microbial biomass is lower, more mineral association, high humic substances etc. Did you try to clean your product after extraction?
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The trizol used was (Cat: 9113 Takara bio) for Blood based RNA isolation. All necessary precautions were taken and solvents were filter steriled before use.
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John Hildyard Yes sir. I have used this 250ul volume as mentioned and prescribed with the trizol manual. Yes RNA was quantified and 1 ug if the crude RNA was loaded. However, the Sample wasn't denatured prior to loading nor was the gel denaturing in nature.
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Hi there
I would appreciate some advice on RNA isolation from stored human neutrophils with the ultimate goal of RNA sequencing. Through various approaches it seems to be a trade-off between quality and quantity of the RNA I obtain. The neutrophils are stored at -80°C in RNAlater.
I prevent the initial clumping of the cells by processing with QIAzol lysis reagent. Downstream processing with Qiagen kits deliver an OK quantity of RNA, but for some reason the RIN values are always low (<4). I have switched to phenol/chloroform extraction (a published protocol) with isopropanol precipitation (have tried ethanol too) but this method does not seem robust because of the downstream ethanol wash steps and the risk of losing the often invisible pellet. With the latter approach I manage to improve RIN values but at the risk of low concentrations that do not help with downstream purposes.
I have tried the above with both healthy donor and actual clinical samples and get comparable results. I do not count cells (samples have been stored for a few years, and to minimise manipulation) but do extrapolate that the count should be sufficient based on matched PBMCs. I have to admit, I have tried many suggestions online and protocols, but to no avail. I was just wondering whether anyone else have had similar issues, and possible (last) avenues I could pursue.
Thanks in advance!
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To get the highest yields and best quality RNA in your situation:
Add the appropriate volume of Trizol to your sample, and ensure the cells are completely lysed. Then, freeze the Trizol lysate overnight at -80C (this helps with lysis). Trizol gives slightly better RNA yields than QIAzol. Do not vortex at any point in the protocol, since this will shear long RNAs.
The next day (or later), isolate RNA from the Trizol following the manufacturer's instructions but with the following modifications:
1) after removing the aqueous phase, add it to 600 uL of chloroform, spin, and remove the aqueous phase again (ie do a chloroform extraction). This helps to remove guanidium salts. Using Phaselock tubes can help during this step, since the chloroform extraction won't have the interphase that you see in the Trizol extraction.
2) after adding isopropanol to the aqueous phase, add 1uL of GlycoBlue (or glycogen, if your downstream application is affected by a dye) and precipitate the RNA at 4C for 1 hour with rotation of the tube. Then, pellet the RNA with a 30min spin at 4C at 18k g.
3) do three washes of the RNA pellet with cold 75% ethanol instead of one.
4) resuspend the RNA pellet with as little as 5uL of NF water, or whatever volume gives you an acceptable concentration.
5) keep the sample on ice as much as possible throughout the protocol. The final RNA product should always be on ice or in the freezer (-80C for long term storage, -20C for short term storage).
Isopropanol precipitation will give you much better yields than using the Qiagen columns, and higher quality too. Your comment that it is not robust enough is not true, since every RNA lab in the world regularly performs isopropanol precipitations. Handling a small pellet takes a bit of practice, but with practice (and using glycoblue/glycogen) you can easily deal with pellets from <10,000 cells. You can practice with cultured cells or any non-important cells you have access to.
If you get more neutrophils in the future, I would recommend storing them at -80C as Trizol lysates. This is better for long term storage than RNAlater.
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Have you ever tried RNA isolation from frozen plasma or serum samples? What concentration range you usually get? Would appreciate if anyone can recommend a protocol?
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The concentration of RNA isolated from plasma or serum can vary. For instance, in the study comparing different commercial kits, the concentration of RNA isolated using QIAGEN miRNeasy kits and the Macherey-Nagel NucleoSpin kit generally produced higher RNA yields compared to other kits. The average concentration achieved was around 40 pg/µL or higher, which correlated well with endogenous miRNA levels measured by qRT-PCR [1]. Another study that optimized extraction from larger plasma volumes (9 mL) using the Qiagen miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit reported obtaining around 35 ng of total RNA, sufficient for downstream applications like small RNA sequencing [2].
Recommended Protocol
Based on the literature, the following protocol is recommended for RNA isolation from frozen plasma or serum samples using a combination of TRIzol LS reagent and QIAvac24 Plus system for high-volume processing:
  1. Sample Preparation:Thaw frozen plasma or serum samples on ice. Centrifuge at 3000 x g for 10 minutes at 4°C to remove any cellular debris.
  2. RNA Extraction:Transfer 1 mL of plasma/serum to a clean 2 mL microcentrifuge tube. Add 3 mL of TRIzol LS reagent to the sample and mix by pipetting up and down. Incubate at room temperature for 5 minutes to permit complete dissociation of nucleoprotein complexes. Add 0.2 mL of chloroform per 1 mL of TRIzol LS reagent used. Cap the tube securely and shake vigorously by hand for 15 seconds. Incubate for 3 minutes at room temperature. Centrifuge the sample at 12,000 x g for 15 minutes at 4°C.
  3. Phase Separation: Following centrifugation, the mixture separates into a lower phenol-chloroform phase, an interphase, and a colorless upper aqueous phase. RNA remains exclusively in the aqueous phase. Transfer the aqueous phase to a new tube, avoiding the interphase.
  4. RNA Precipitation: Add 0.5 mL of isopropanol to the aqueous phase. Mix by inverting the tube several times. Incubate at room temperature for 10 minutes. Centrifuge at 12,000 x g for 10 minutes at 4°C.
  5. RNA Wash: Remove the supernatant and wash the RNA pellet with 1 mL of 75% ethanol. Vortex briefly. Centrifuge at 7,500 x g for 5 minutes at 4°C. Remove the supernatant and briefly air-dry the RNA pellet. Do not let the pellet dry completely as this will make it difficult to dissolve.
  6. RNA Resuspension: Dissolve the RNA pellet in RNase-free water by passing the solution a few times through a pipette tip. Quantify RNA using a spectrophotometer or fluorometer (e.g., Qubit).
  7. Optional: Concentration Step: If higher RNA concentration is needed, concentrate the RNA by evaporation as described in [3]. This involves reducing the volume under a vacuum concentrator.
Using this protocol, you can expect to obtain RNA concentrations that are suitable for downstream applications such as qRT-PCR and RNA sequencing. This method efficiently isolates RNA even from fragmented and degraded samples, ensuring amplifiable RNA for further analysis [3][4].
Overall, RNA isolation from frozen plasma or serum samples can yield sufficient concentrations for various molecular biology applications, provided that optimized protocols and appropriate kits are used.
[1] Max, K., Bertram, K., Akat, K., Bogardus, K. A., Li, J., Morozov, P., Ben-Dov, I., Li, X., Weiss, Z. R., Azizian, A., Sopeyin, A., Diacovo, T., Adamidi, C., Williams, Z., & Tuschl, T. (2018). Human plasma and serum extracellular small RNA reference profiles and their clinical utility. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115, E5334 - E5343.
[2] Danielson, K. M., Rubio, R., Abderazzaq, F., Das, S., & Wang, Y. E. (2017). High Throughput Sequencing of Extracellular RNA from Human Plasma. PLoS ONE, 12.
[3] Cerkovnik, P., Perhavec, A., Zgajnar, J., & Novaković, S. (2007). Optimization of an RNA isolation procedure from plasma samples.. International journal of molecular medicine, 20 3, 293-300 .
[4] Meerson, A., & Ploug, T. (2016). Assessment of six commercial plasma small RNA isolation kits using qRT-PCR and electrophoretic separation: higher recovery of microRNA following ultracentrifugation. Biology Methods & Protocols, 1.
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I will be with my students collecting seaweed samples in a marine farm and later we will process this tissue for RNA isolation and further sequencing. Does anyone have tips on how to collect the tissues, preserve and take them to the lab (8 hours drive from the collection point) for RNA extraction?
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Bacterial 16S rRNA above and in seq perspective is most probably not RNA, its DNA.
Further, for the preservation of samples for RNA (not DNA) extraction, there are many products available in market. You can search for RNAlater or alternatives. If you are interested in DNA, no special solution is needed. any buffer, or even water is just fine.
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I have been using the RNeasy Plus Mini kit and have tried to homogenize my tissue samples with a handheld rotor stator, but I can't seem to get the hang of using the machine properly without making it make a horrible grinding noise and get extremely warm.
I have a MagNA Lyser machine in my lab I have used for protein extraction. Can I use this to homogenize my samples if I get the green beads for the system?
Thank you in advance!
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Hello,
You can use the MagNA Lyser machine to homogenize your tissue samples.
Let's consider:
Getting the green beads for your tissue type.
Ensuring that you optimize the homogenization conditions, such as the speed and duration, based on your specific tissue.
You might need to adjust the protocol slightly compared to your current method with the RNeasy Plus Mini kit.
Good luck ;-)
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I want to isolate RNA from bacillus subtilis using the QuickRNA Fungal Bacterial Miniprep Kit from Zymo Research and further reverse transcriptase to cDNA using the ReverTra Ace qPCR RT Master Mix from Toyobo, the protocol for RT suggests doing DNase I treatment to eliminate any genomic DNA contamination from the purified RNA sample, however I only have DNase I (not RNase Free), is it necessary to use the RNAse free DNase I or is it okay if i only use the regular DNase I? also is the result from QuickRNA kit purely free from genomic DNA or no? Thank you!
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Yes, it is necessary. This will avoid DNA contamination in your Rna sample, thus not compromising the next steps of your research.
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Hi,
I am isolating RNA from 4x106 hepatocytes using Qiagen RNeasy mini kit. I have DNase I with a concentration of 1mg/ml. How much of this should be added to get rid of DNA?
I've seen literature, but everywhere it is described in units not in mg/ml.
Many thanks in advance.
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We are trying to isolate RNA from frozen scafords made of alginate, methylcellulose and NFC, into which we have incorporated Hepa RG cells. We have already tried several methods (TRIZOL; CTAB, RNeasy kit), but always unsuccessfully. Do anyone have any experience in this field? Thank you.
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Hello all. I have recently been trying to isolate total RNA after transfection of miRNA mimics and antisense inhibitors in mammalian cells. However, the RNA isolated through the trizol method attains very less yield, along with poor RNA quality sometimes.
Is this a common observation? Does it get resolved by kit based RNA extraction?
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Pedro Paulo Gattai Thank you so much for the insight. I will try the way you have scraped the cells and check if there is any improvement.
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I have been trying to isolate RNA from magur fish testis, at the end of RNA isolation, RNA pellets becoming gel when DEPC water is added, what could be the possible reason for that? What is the solution?
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It is most likely the result of impurities like salts, proteins, or other organic components co-precipitating with the RNA during the isolation process that causes RNA pellets from testis samples to become gel-like during the isolation process. These impurities may prevent the RNA pellet from dissolving in water or RNA resuspension buffer, resulting in the production of a gel-like material rather than a transparent RNA solution.
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Hey! I know this has been asked before in some fashion, but here is my problem: It was late at night (11 pm) and I finished isolation of A. thaliana T-DNA mutant RNA (using isopropanol, wash with ethanol), and diluted with 30 microliter ddH2O. Then I immediately put them in 4° C and wanted to transfer it to -20, but forgot and did this ten hours later in the morning. Are those samples still usable even if I detect enough RNA concentration? Or should I harvest new?
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I'd start over. If your results are at all "unexpected", the first thing you would do is redo the extraction.
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I'm getting very low yields - 1/2ng and unfortunately can only take 20mls from the donors. Any help would be much appreciated!
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Hi Arbesu, I am wondering such RNA concentration of 15-20 ng/uL is enough to do cDNA Reverse Transcription? And from your experience, what ratio of A280/260 were you getting from Nanodrop of the platelet RNA sample? I appreciate any replies from you!
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which method is best for RNA quantification for RNA isolation from human blood ?
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Trizol gives cleanest RNA.
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I performed RNA isolation using NucleoZOL reagent from rat brain tissue (it is very small piece appox. 2-3mg of tissue). As a control, I also did all the NucleoZOL procedure without a tissue in a sterile 1,5ml eppendorf tube. After that I measure RNA samples using nanodrop device. I got below results of first picture. Then, I measure all products that I use in Isolation procedure, such as NucleoZOL, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, Rnase free water etc… and I got results on second picture. I could not figure it out. Is this normal and is there any contamination ? Lastly, what can I do with that?
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i would always blank with whatever i have eluted my RNA with my i use silica columns but i guess you could do the same principle. blank with qiazol then measure your sample just a suggestion. But from the curve there may be contaminants at very close wavelengths.
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Hi everybody,
Im trying to isolate RNA from umbilical cord total tissue by nitrogen freezing and powdering and then Qiazol/Choloroform extraction. I have obtained good results with placental total tissue but with cord the problem is that the pellet is very viscous, and when I try to solubilize it in water to quantify, I cannot even to pippete because of this.
Could anyone show me a protocol to do this?
Thanks
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Hi Francisco,
I am also curious if you succeed with RNA isolation. I am having the same problem; my pellet is very viscous, and I am looking for a solution right now.
Thanks,
Tetiana
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I have tried isolating RNA from dead roots with no success. We call them dead just because they are discolored and black/dark brown but not sure if that means they are completely dead. I have tried many RNA isolation methods but none works for these particular roots.
Any insights?
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Katie A S Burnette we have ground the roots as best possible, but I have not tried that kit yet. Maybe I can give it a try.
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We are digesting mouse cortices and trying to extract the RNA from microglia for sequencing. We have gotten the isolation working to get good yield of cells (about 200,000 for both cortices) but the RNA after flow sorting is having really low RNA integrity scores. We are thinking that this is because of the sort process and are thinking about using RNALater for preservation of cells prior to sorting (i.e sorting with RNAlater as the buffer!). Has anyone tried this? If so - does the RNALater degrade the fluorophore signals? Any other tips for isolating RNA from sorted primary cells would be appreciated!
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Hello, did you manage to solve the RNA integrity problem after sorting? I'm having the same problem right now and would like some tips. Thanks! Morgan Towriss
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Hi, I have been trying to isolate RNA from neutrophils isolated from whole blood samples. I cannot seem to consistently get a good RIN using the Qiagen RNAeasy mini kit. Does anyone have any tricks to help? I'm following the protocol and using the QIAshredder columns. Would appreciate any tips to help my RIN improve.
Thanks,
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Problem solved, thanks for all the suggestions!
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I have performed 3 RNA isolations on Jurkat cells using the phenol-chloroform principle, using Omega Bio-Tek RNA Solv® & following the protocol. I took care in not disturbing the separated phases when removing two thirds of the aqeous phases but the data I get when I measure the 260/280 & 260'/230nm absorbance ratios lead me to suspect contamination of the samples with phenol or other reagents.
Most of the samples have a 260/280 ratio below 1,6 and only one sample has a 260/230 ratio that comes close to 2 (1,84 to be exact). Subsequent cDNA synthesis & RT-qPCR have not resulted in genes of interest to show any fluoresence at all, only the housekeeping genes in 2 of 7 samples showed up. Problems with primers & RT-qPCR were ruled out as the same setup yielded viable results previously.
Thanks in advance!
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I agree with Julie Ann Dougherty . RNA quality can be affected by impurities like phenol which can be carried over to samples. Residual phenol is assumed to inhibit PCR reactions by denaturation of enzymes such as polymerases and reverse transcriptase in a concentration dependent manner. So, try to use lower concentration of RNA than what you would be presently using.
You may want to refer to the articles attached below for more information.
Best.
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Hi,
I'm currently working on the analysis of wastewater treatment efficiency on viruses. I have spiked my wastewater (abbatoir water from fish slaughterhouses) with BCoV and TV prior to treatment with standard chemical coagulants containing iron and aluminum, and will now evaluate the efficiency by RT-PCR.
The issue is that my RT-PCR results are fluctuating and are often resulting in No Cq, especially on the treatments where max amounts of iron are used. I think the problem might be innhibitors from the coagulants. I'm currently using QiAmp viral-RNA isolation kit and RNeasy clean-up kit.
Has anyone working with samples containing chemical treated wastewated experienced the same issues? If yes, do you have any recommendations to other kits/procedures I can use to clean my samles sufficiently to isolate the RNA?
Thank you in advance.
Best,
Mia Tiller Mjøs
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Hi! Haven't worked with the same exact variables, but thought I'd throw out a recommendation. I'd maybe check out the kits that a small local company near me has. The company is called Claremont BioSolutions. I've worked with some researchers who have been really impressed with their kits and the results. Hope that helps in some way. And good luck!
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Hello,
I performed an rt-PCR using CRISPR KO cells as I have done numerous times before. I am confident that there has been no error in RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis protocol, or primer usage. However, I did use a brand new cDNA synthesis kit during the cDNA synthesis step. Could this be the cause for my CT values being too high? I cannot think of another reason as I have used these primers with this CRISPR cell line in the past with no issues. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
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Sargis Shameon I would recommend a fluorimeter such as Qubit or Bioanalyzer, but if you dont have access to those, use Nanodrop
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Does cell lysis affect RNA isolation? I ve done my cell lysis by vortexing after that i ve done RT but im not geting the results.
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You should follow the TRIzol method for RNA isolation from cells. I have provided a detailed protocol in the link below.
If you are using suspension cells you may follow these steps:
a. Pellet the cells by centrifugation and discard the supernatant.
b. Add 0.75 mL of TRIzol reagent (per 5– 10 × 10^6 cells) to the pellet.
c. Pipet the lysate up and down several times to homogenize.
You may then continue from step 6 from the above protocol provided in the link.
Good Luck!
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Hi,
I'm trying to isolate RNA from cell cultures using the Trizol method. However, all my samples have low 260/280 values (~1.6). Could this be because I used chloroform and isopropanol, which was not molecular biology grade? For RNA isolation, I used samples that were kept in Trizol at -20C for about 2 months.
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Well in the attached picture you have a 1.87 index if I see it correctly so you do not have anything to worry about. However, as mentioned by Diana, you should keep your samples at -80°C. I have stored some at -20°C but only for a day or so. And for RNA always use DEPC treated water, even to prepare the 75% ethanol for the washing step in trizol procedure.
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I have nhe6 KO mice, confirmed via genotyping from their tail clips. I isolated BAT, iWAT, and gWAT from three controls and three KO mice. RNA isolation followed by cDNA preparation was performed from these isolated tissues. On running qPCR, I expected low ct values (high nhe6 expression) in controls and high ct values or undetermined ct values (may be?) for KO samples. However, shockingly! I got similar ct values (30-32) for both- controls and KO.
The questions here is-
Is it correct to perform qPCR on genomic knockouts? AND WHY?
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Alternatively, you might've included _too much_ cDNA in the reaction (cDNA synthesis buffer is inhibitory to PCR, so you want to dilute your cDNA after synthesis, ideally).
But like Ciaran Daly says, Cq values of 30-32 are far too high to be trustworthy: these correspond to countable numbers of target molecules (like, 5-20 targets per well) and are thus very susceptible to stochastic noise, mispriming and just general PCR shenanigans.
It would be helpful if you could provide more detail about your entire experimental set-up, since there are lots of places where things can go wrong.
How are you isolating the RNA?
What are your yields?
Are you QCing your RNA afterwards, and how?
What are your 260/280 values, and more importantly, your 260/230 ratios?
How much RNA are you using for cDNA synthesis?
How are you priming (oligodT, random priming, or both)?
Are you diluting your cDNA afterward?
How much cDNA are you using per well, assuming 1:1 conversion?
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I am trying to Isolate RNA from sugarcane. The objective is to study the involvement of genes in red rot diseases.
Plant stems are inoculated with Red Rot fungus inoculum. Plants are mature and it's been 2 years of their growth.
The protocol I follow is as
1.                  Add 0.5 ml of cold (4ºC) Plant RNA Reagent (TRIzol from Invitrogen) for up to 0.1 gm of frozen, ground tissue. Resuspend the sample thoroughly by briefly vortexing or flicking the bottom of the tube.
2.                  Incubate the tube for 5 min at room temperature. Lay the tube down horizontally to maximize surface area during RNA extraction.
3.                  Centrifuge for 2 min at 12,000 x g, transfer the supernatant to an RNase- free tube.
4.                  Add 0.1 ml of 5 M NaCl to the clarified extract and tap the tube to mix.
5.                  Add 0.3 ml of chloroform. Mix thoroughly by inversion.
6.                  Centrifuge the sample at 4ºC for 10 min at 12,000 x g to separate phases. Transfer the top, aqueous phase to an RNase-free tube.
7.                  Add to the aqueous phase an equal volume of isopropyl alcohol. Mix and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
8.                  Centrifuge the sample at 4 ºC for 10 min at 12,000 x g.
9.                   Decant the supernatant, taking care not to lose the pellet, and add 1 ml of 75% ethanol to the pellet.   Note: The pellet may be difficult to see.
10.              Centrifuge at room temperature for 1 min at 12,000 x g. Decant liquid carefully, taking care not to lose the pellet. Briefly centrifuge to collect the residual liquid and remove it with a pipette.
Add 10-30µl RNase–free water to dissolve the RNA. Pipette the water up and down over the pellet to dissolve RNA.  Store at -70 ºC.
Before starting the protocol we need pestle, mortars, tips both 1ml and 200ul, Eppendorf, and PCR tubes washed with DEPC-treated water. DEPC 1ml added to 1-liter water makes the DEPC treated water.
5ul of loading dye and 5ul of RNA sample was run on 1% Agarose gel in TAE buffer for 50 min at 60 voltage, 1kb ladder was used and I did not use the Denaturation method for gel.
Attached are the pictures and I am not getting any results kindly help me with how to proceed.
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I use the RNeasy kit but for my disruption/homogenization (I am working with zebrafish brains that have been stored in RNALater previously) I just use a pestle and so far has been working well. 1% agarose gel (not denatured) has also sufficed. when preparing my samples for the gel, I make a known amount (ie 2 ug) of the sample and then add DEPC treated water to it. if that volume is 10 uL, my loading dye would also be 10 uL and load 20 uL in total.
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I am going to sacriface my animals in a couple of weeks and dissect plenty of tissues in a day. There is no way to do all protein and RNA isolations at the same day. Therefore I must freeze (-80C) some tissues for at least a few weeks and isolate part by part.
Could you please enlighten me about RNA-later solution (invitrogen-thermofisher)? Can I put my tissues into RNA-later solution directly or required to homogenise my tissues in RNA-later solution before freeze it?
Also I am quite concern about protein extraction from tissues. Can I extract proteins from frozen tissues and if it is possible what kind of solution require to freeze tissues? Or freeze it without adding any solutions?
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We just put our tissues in an epp tube and did flash freezing for RNA extraction at a later time. This worked out. If you dont want to do this you can freeze the tissue in Trizol. What is your RNA extraction protocol?
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While lysing the leaf sample for RNA isolation a jelly-like substance was released which led to a low yield of RNA. How to overcome this issue.
PS: RNA isolation was carried out using nucleospin RNA kit
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In plants, polysaccharides and polyphenols are two classes of biomolecules that vary significantly between species and become problematic when isolating RNA. Contaminating polysaccharides and polyphenols can cause interference during RNA isolation.
CTAB (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide) is a cationic detergent that facilitates the separation of polysaccharides during purification while additives, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, aid in inactivating polyphenols. I would suggest you use CTAB extraction buffer to isolate RNA from plant leaf which is commonly used for nucleic acid isolation from polysaccharide-rich plants, and in particular RNA isolation.
A typical CTAB extraction buffer contains CTAB, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), sodium chloride, and beta-mercaptoethanol, each of which plays an important role in nucleic acid extraction from polysaccharides. CTAB acts as a strong detergent to help to break plant cell walls and separate nucleic acids from polysaccharides. Salts help to dissolve polysaccharides and CTAB-RNA complexes, resulting in the efficient removal of polysaccharides and CTAB during chloroform extraction. PVP helps to prevent the oxidation of polyphenols in cell walls and extracellular matrices. Beta-mercapto ethanol is a strong reducing reagent that acts to irreversibly denature RNases.
Prepare CTAB Extraction Buffer as follows.
2% CTAB,
2% PVP40,
25mM EDTA,
100mM Tris at pH 8,
2M NaCl
Autoclave the extraction buffer and then add 1% (v/v) β-mercaptoethanol prior to extraction procedure. The final solution is warmed in a dry bath to 65 °C before use in RNA extraction.
You may follow the protocol given below.
1. The leaf sample which is pre-cooled in liquid nitrogen may be crushed into fine powder in a pulverizer.
2. The sample powder may be transferred to RNase-free microcentrifuge tube filled with 600 µl pre-warmed CTAB extraction buffer and vortexed for 5 min at room temperature.
3. Centrifuge at maximum speed (15000 x g) for 10 minutes and transfer supernatant to a new microcentrifuge tube.
4. Add an equal volume of chloroform: isoamyl alcohol (24:1), then vortex for 30 seconds and centrifuge at maximum speed (15000 x g) for 15 minutes at 4°C.
5. Pipette out aqueous phase, without disruption of the white interphase, and transfer to a new microcentrifuge tube.
6. Repeat the chloroform: isoamyl alcohol extraction as above.
7. Add an equal volume of ethanol (95-100%) to the aqueous phase, mix and load onto the spin column. Continue with the kit’s manufacturer protocol, and the resulting RNA may be stored at −80 °C.
Best.
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Hi!
I have samples with callus remainings and bacteria that have been cultured on a callus solution. Now I want to isolate only the RNA from the bacteria to eventually only get mRNA from the bacteria to be able to RNA-seq. Now the problem is that the remainig callus appears to contaminate/overrule the RNA-seq data for now. So therefore, we would like to isolate the bacterial mRNA and remove all the mammalian parts.
If anyone knows something, let me know! :)
Thanks in advance!
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I was isolating the exosomes from 40 mL of urine sample by ultracentrifugation method and further try to isolate total RNA from it for NGS. I was able to isolate total RNA conc. around approximately 5-9 ng/uL using mirVana kit. I followed the all precautions during isolation such as using ice all the time, and RNaseZap (decontamination solution). I also went for the RNA QC in which RIN NO was 1.5 due to which NGS was not possible. Please suggest me how will I improve my urinary exosomal RNA concentration or any alternative technique to do urinary exosomal microRNA profiling.
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Thank you Vasily A Yakovlev . I‘ll try the things you suggested.
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So, i would like to know what concentration of Tris HCl i have to prepare in order to use it in RNA isolation protocol? Additionally, i would like to know why to use this buffer, is it only for pH stabilization?
Thank you,
Kiriakos Athanasiadis
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Tris HCl buffer is commonly used in RNA isolation protocols due to its ability to stabilize the pH level, which helps maintain the integrity and stability of RNA during the isolation process.
Tris HCl is a popular choice as it resists pH changes when exposed to acidic or basic conditions, providing a consistent environment for RNA extraction.
The typical concentration of Tris HCl used in RNA isolation is around 10-100 mM, depending on the specific protocol or application.
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I have performed RNA isolation from brain tissue using trizol and a commercial kit (columns). I got good RNA concentrations (>600ng/uL) and 280/260 ratios (near 2,0) in all samples. However, 260/230 ratios were abnormally high (3-9).
What is the cause of these values? How can I improve the protocol?
Thanks for your help!
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A high RNA 260/230 ratio with good 260/280 ratios and high concentrations suggests relatively pure RNA but may indicate contamination by organic solvents, guanidine salts, or carbohydrates.
To improve the protocol, optimize purification steps, increase ethanol washes, use RNase-free materials, and consider a DNase treatment to remove residual DNA.
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I used QIAGEN RNeasy Mini plus Kit for RNA isolation. The final step require me to elute RNA into 1.5 ml centrifuge tube provided by this kit.
I am wondering:
1. Can I store the centrifuge tube under -80 °C for long time storage? (in the protocol, it is said -70 °C though)
2. what is the difference between cryo vial and centrifuge tube?
3. when I isolate tissues from rats for my project, can I simply transfer the tissue into centrifuge tube instead of centrifuge tube ?(disruption is processed in a 2 ml centrifuge tube using TissueLyser)
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I would like to isolate RNA from plants, is an low cost RNA isolation protocol available? Preferable using Chloroform as main reagent.
Thank you in advance,
Kiriakos Athanasiadis
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Hi Kiriakos,
I have done RNA isolation from different types of tissue i(n the time when no RNA isolation kits were available) with the method described by Chomczynski and Sacchi, 1987 (attached). I am not sure if the purchase of all components required is cheeper than a comercial kit but this might be dependent on the number of samples you need to process.
Best,
Murat
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I found only kits which purify genomic DNA and total RNA sequentially. I'm looking for a protocol for isolation of total RNA and plasmid DNA from the same sample in mammalian cells.
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Hi,
Did you find a way to do the RNA and plasmid DNA extraction from the same samples?
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Recently, I did an experiment where RNA was isolated by TRIZOl reagent.
Finally the concentration of RNA check by nanodrop was around 5-16 microgram/microliter.
Their 260/280 ratios were in the range of 1.98-2.1 and also the 260/230 ratios were in the range of 2.1-2.3.
However, unfortunately the quality analysis by qubit 3 fluorimeter analysis showed RIN values less than 3 and were in the range of 1-1.8. I have to do downstream analysis RNASeq.
Gel was also run but only single band was obtained everytime.
I dont understand when concentrations and ratios were in good range then how can I monitor where I am going wrong. Why it failed the QC by Qubit?
I request to help me findout the reason and trouble shoot the problem..
Thanks
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@Can
I simply stored the sample in 50 microliter of RNAse free water àt -80.
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RNA isolation
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According to the Safety Data Sheet it contains guanidinium thiocyanate, commonly used for RNA isolation, but the other ingredients are not disclosed.
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I'm performing qPCR on bovine whole blood samples collected 9/2021-11/2021 and stored/thawed a handful of times before initial PCR testing for anaplasmosis locally and then for BLV via PCR at Michigan State before being stored again and sent back to me at my lab for some experimental testing for coxiella burnetii on beef cattle. Upon receiving the samples on dry ice, I subsequently stored them at -80 C before I took them out for a few hours to thaw before sample preparation and extraction using Magmax Express -96 Deep Well Magnetic Particle Processor was performed. Our lab has typically used 18s as the endogenous control for multiple different tests, but I suppose I'm unfamiliar if the specimen type is having an effect on the Ct values? One of my NA plates had several wells with no Ct value for 18s, so I did a 10:1 dilution and a Ct value for 18s did eventually show, but it was still higher than I'd like it to be (Ct ~26). There is also a decent amount of variation between the Ct values for 18s samples being tested on the same plate. I think I either inherited some samples that have some agent causing PCR inhibition, or the whole blood samples are no longer viable due to several rounds of thawing/freezing and a couple of trips across the country for other labs to carry out testing. I'm following our institutional SOP that is actually designed for coxiella burnetii on small ruminants, but the thermo fisher kit I'm using has a similar protocol including specifics on how to prep and test whole blood, however, my lab director insists that the thermo fisher MagMAX™ -96 Viral RNA Isolation Kit can be used with whole blood samples, even though there are other kits specifically made for specimens with more cells that what we use the viral kit for, which is for testing ruminant fetal tissues.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
This kit is designed for isolation of viral RNA and DNA from cell-free, or mostly cell-free samples. Cell culture medium, swab samples, and biological fluids such as serum, plasma, urine, meconium, and nasal fluids can be used with the kit.
• The MagMAX™-96 Viral RNA Isolation Kit procedure accommodates up to 50-µL sample input, which is sufficient for most applications. Sample volumes up to 300 µL can be processed to increase the detection sensitivity of low titer samples using the MagMAX™ Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit (Cat. no. 4462359).
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It's great that you've identified possible issues with your sample preparation and have tried alternative extraction methods to improve your 18s Ct values. If you're still experiencing high and/or variable Ct values for 18s, you may want to consider using an alternative endogenous control gene that is more stably expressed in whole blood samples. Some commonly used endogenous control genes for whole blood samples include GAPDH, ACTB, B2M, and HPRT1. You may want to perform a literature search to see which endogenous control gene(s) have been used in previous studies on Coxiella burnetii. Additionally, it's important to ensure that your qPCR assay conditions are optimized for the endogenous control gene you choose to use. This includes validating the primer and probe design and ensuring that the amplification efficiency is similar to that of your target gene.
Thank you
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Hi, I am transfecting mammalian cells with a miRNA mimic. After the 24-48hr transfection incubation I proceed to RNA isolation. My question is must the RT-PCR be run straight after RNA isolation or can the RNA be stored at -80 for some time before proceeding to qPCR and gene expression effects from the miRNA mimic will still be observed?
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June Leslie i would recommend you to prepare cDNA as soon as you isolate RNA and then freeze the remaining RNA in -80 because you freezing and thawing will decrease the efficiency of of RNA as cDNA are more stable than RNA.
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Hello all, I have been trying 5x Magmax 96 viral RNA isolation kit (AM1836-5) for extraction of total RNA and DNA samples from swab samples (assuming that the viral titer is too low). We have Magmax Express 96 magnetic particle procedure to automate the extraction procedure. So I prepare the plates as per user guide instructions and run the script using the instrument. Please note that I add a spike in RNA control in all of my samples and add two extraction controls in the plate with the spike in control and nuclease-free water instead of the sample to verify whether the extraction went okay. Following extraction, I run conventional PCR using primers for the spike in RNA control. I do quality check using NanoDrop and Qubit and the readings look okay. However, PCR did not work for any of the samples. No peak even for the spike in control in the tape station and Qiaxcel runs. Although PCR positive control worked perfectly and got the expected band size which likely indicates PCR worked okay. There might be something wrong in the extraction procedure which I can't figure out. I tried this process a couple of times with different concentrations of a spike in control (1 and 2 ul in lysis binding solution along with carrier RNA and buffer and isopropanol). Can you please enlighten me a bit about where might be the issue in the extraction process? Thanks a lot for you time and help!
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Asma Sultana Based on the information you provided, it seems that you have followed the protocol and automation procedure correctly for the Magmax viral RNA isolation using the Magmax Express 96 system. However, you are experiencing issues with PCR amplification of the extracted RNA samples, specifically the spike in RNA control.
There could be several factors contributing to the PCR failure. Here are some potential areas to investigate:
1. Inhibition: It is possible that the extracted RNA contains inhibitors that are affecting the PCR amplification. These inhibitors can come from the sample matrix or be introduced during the extraction process. To address this, you can perform an inhibition control by adding known amounts of the extracted RNA to a PCR reaction that contains a known target. This will help you determine if inhibition is a problem.
2. RNA degradation: RNA is susceptible to degradation, especially in samples with low viral titers. Ensure that all reagents used during the extraction are RNase-free and that the samples are handled carefully to minimize degradation. Additionally, consider performing an RNA integrity assessment, such as using an Agilent Bioanalyzer or running a gel, to verify the quality and integrity of the extracted RNA.
3. Concentration of spike in control: The concentration of the spike in control may influence the efficiency of the extraction process. You mentioned trying different concentrations, but it may be worth optimizing this parameter further to ensure sufficient recovery of the spike in control RNA.
4. Sample quality and viral titer: It's important to consider the quality of the original swab samples and the expected viral titer. If the viral titer is indeed low, it may affect the success of the extraction and subsequent PCR amplification. Confirm the presence of viral RNA in your samples by using alternative detection methods like qPCR or digital PCR, if available.
5. PCR conditions: Double-check the PCR conditions, including primer design, annealing temperature, and cycling parameters. Ensure that the PCR protocol is appropriate for the target you are amplifying.
6. Troubleshooting with technical support: If you have tried the above suggestions and are still experiencing difficulties, consider reaching out to the technical support team of the Magmax viral RNA isolation kit or the instrument manufacturer. They may have specific troubleshooting steps or recommendations tailored to your situation.
Remember that troubleshooting experimental procedures can be a process of elimination, and it may require further optimization and testing to identify the root cause of the issue. Reviewing the protocol, confirming reagent integrity, and exploring potential sources of inhibition or degradation are important steps in diagnosing the problem.
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My plant samples are Arabidopsis and maize
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Thanks for your input
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plant materials can be of any species.
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To obtain a high yield for plant RNA isolation, here are some general guidelines and tips:
  1. Plant Tissue Selection: Choose plant tissues or organs that are rich in RNA and represent the specific RNA population of interest. Young and actively growing tissues tend to have higher RNA content.
  2. Pre-harvest Considerations: Ensure that the plants are healthy and free from stress factors that can affect RNA integrity, such as pathogens, drought, or extreme temperatures. Harvest the tissues quickly and handle them with care to minimize RNA degradation.
  3. Grinding or Homogenization: Grind or homogenize the plant tissue using liquid nitrogen or a suitable buffer to disrupt the cell walls and release RNA. Mechanical disruption methods such as bead beating or mortar and pestle can be used. Maintain the samples at a low temperature throughout the process.
  4. Lysis Buffer: Choose an appropriate lysis buffer that contains a strong denaturing agent like guanidine thiocyanate or guanidine isothiocyanate. These agents help in deactivating RNases and preserving RNA integrity.
  5. DNase Treatment: Incorporate a DNase treatment step to remove any genomic DNA contamination. DNase enzymes can be added to the lysis buffer or used during the RNA purification process.
  6. RNA Extraction Method: Select a suitable RNA extraction method based on your specific requirements. Common methods include phenol-chloroform extraction, silica column-based purification, or magnetic bead-based extraction. Each method has its own protocol and efficiency, so choose one that is known for high RNA yields and purity.
  7. Precipitation and Washing: Ensure that RNA is properly precipitated and washed during the extraction process to remove impurities. Follow the protocol carefully, including the use of appropriate washing buffers and centrifugation conditions.
  8. Quality Control: Assess the quality and quantity of the isolated RNA using spectrophotometry (e.g., measuring absorbance at 260 nm) and/or fluorescence-based methods. Additionally, perform a gel electrophoresis or use a bioanalyzer to check for RNA integrity.
  9. Storage: Store the isolated RNA at -80°C or in a suitable RNase-free storage buffer to maintain its stability and prevent degradation.
It's important to note that the specific RNA isolation protocol and reagents used can vary depending on the plant species, tissue type, and downstream applications. Following established protocols, using high-quality reagents, and optimizing the extraction steps based on your specific plant sample will contribute to obtaining a high RNA yield.
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In the FFPE samples, both DNA and RNA are fragmented. Someone does not use DNase I during RNA isolation of the FFPE sample. They found the DV200 was confusing.
Does DNA contamination affect RNA quality determination using RIN (RIN value or DV200)?
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Yes, DNA contamination can affect RNA quality determination using RIN (RIN value or DV200). The presence of genomic DNA contamination in RNA samples can interfere with the calculation of RIN values or DV200, which are used to assess RNA integrity. This is because the presence of genomic DNA can lead to overestimation of the RNA concentration and can also affect the electrophoretic profile of the RNA sample, leading to inaccurate RIN values or DV200 calculations. Therefore, it is important to ensure that RNA samples are free from genomic DNA contamination before assessing RNA quality using RIN or DV200.
If someone does not use DNase I during RNA isolation of the FFPE sample, it is likely that the RNA sample will be contaminated with fragmented DNA. This can affect the determination of RNA quality using DV200, which is a measure of the percentage of RNA fragments that are longer than 200 nucleotides. The presence of fragmented DNA can lead to overestimation of the DV200 value, as the DNA fragments may be included in the calculation of the total RNA fragments. This can result in a confusing DV200 value, which may not accurately reflect the true quality of the RNA sample. Therefore, it is important to use DNase I during RNA isolation of FFPE samples to remove any contaminating DNA and ensure accurate determination of RNA quality using DV200.
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I am new to extracting RNA from fruit flesh. Currently, I'm extracting RNA from sweet cherry flesh using Fruitmate and Nucleospin Takara Bio. I have tried using RNeasy kit Qiagen but I failed (but with another fruit sample I can extract it).
For shredding the tissue I used multibeads shocker and store the sample at -80 degree celsius freezer.
I have tried to follow their instructions and try to create a clean workspace as possible. My problem is that the extraction always resulted in low concentration (both 1x and 2x elution) and absorption is also very small (0.xxx of A260 and A280), also A260/A280 ratio of 1.5 - 1.89. I want to know where did I do wrong but I don't know how to evaluate it. Please help.
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Thank you for the suggestion Henry Kolge, I finally tried again using more samples in one column of NucleoSpin RNA and it works
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My question is how I can increase the quantity of RNA isolated from cells in wound edge in this case from keratinocytes? I have done the experiment and still the quantity of isolated RNA is low for RNA seq. does anyone have experience who could help me?
Best
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Yes with the kit, Agilent, and or Qiagen,
No, kit is ok
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Before lysing the lung tissue and after putting tissue in RLT buffer for RNA isolation (Qiagen), I realized the tissue lysis machine is not in service.
My lung tissue is on ice in RLT buffer and Im wondering if Im able to store it in the buffer or how I should go about preserving it.
Thanks!
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Henry Kolge Thanks! Does this result in OK RNA yields once thawed?
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Hi everybody,
I have been doing RNA isolation from human serum, but when measuring the isolate with NanoQuant equipment, the ratio obtained is very low. How the improve the Ratio of RNA isolated from human serum?
I appreciate if you can help me!
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Usually the 260/230 ratio is low because the absorbance of guanidine salts is high reducing the ratio. Try using less serum and also include an additional wash step after the rna binding step to remove excess salts
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Hello!
Last week I found myself researching how different storage of cells in RLT buffer might affect the end results and found many different answers. Some say it is best to snap freeze the cells on dry ice, other say that room temperature is fine. Others mean that storage of cells on dry ice will severely affect the recovered yield. With all those different answers in mind I did a little test and thought id share it with the network.
I used equal amounts of BR5 mouse cells for each sample and then did different isolation methods, namely;
1. collect in lysis buffer, isolate RNA immediately, measure RNA, freeze on dry ice for 1h, measure concentration again
2. collect in lysis buffer, incubate in RT for 2h, isolate RNA & measure
3. collect in lysis buffer, incubate on ice for 2h, isolate RNA & measure
4. collect in lysis buffer, incubate on dry ice for 2h, isolate RNA & measure
I found that there is no significant difference in RNA yield between the treatments, on the short term. So, if you forget your samples in RT, you should be just fine!
Attached is a more detailed presentation of my findings
Best,
Linn
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Thank you for this great insights. Do you think that we have to check the integrity of RNA isolated by those different ways?
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I am planning to do primary macrophage cell culture. I couldn't decide what to use to remove cells from the well plate prior to RNA isolation procedures, for example we usually use trypsin for this. But in primary culture this can be somewhat harmful. What should I use?
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I usually apply the lysis buffer direct onto the plate, use a cell scraper to collect everything in the lower edge of the vessel and transfer the buffer into a Eppendorf tube.
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Hi everyone,
I work with Arabidopsis thaliana.
I want to know what is the best strategy to strore plant saplings after the treatment to preserve the quality of RNA (at least for a week).
1. Is it adviseable to flash freeze sapling in a microcetrifuge tube in liquid nitrogen and keep it in -80
or
2. Is it better to add RNA lysis buffer, crush the samples and then flash freeze and keep it in -80.
or
3. I should just add the RNA lysis buffer without crushing the saplings?
I know if I flash freeze the saplings without any buffer the ice crystals will still puncture the plant cell, might lead the slow yet possile RNAse activity thereby RNA damage, wherease I think adding RNA lysis buffer will act as inhibitior of that slow RNAse activity during the storage period.
Any other suggestions are most welcome.
I will be happy to get other useful advices that work in your case.
thanks
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You can try using RNA later solution, it helps preserve the RNA even in fresh samples (i.e., unfrozen samples). It has worked with my animal tissue. Here is the link to purchase the product-
Hope it helps.
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Hi,
During RNA isolation, why is it required to spin the tubes not more than 10000 rpm rather than 12000 rpm after adding "isopropanol"?
Thanks!
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Hi,
During RNA isolation, it's important to spin the tubes at a specific speed after adding isopropanol to ensure that the RNA remains intact and undamaged.
The reason for spinning the tubes at 10,000 rpm rather than 12,000 rpm is because at high speeds, the centrifugal force can cause mechanical shearing of the RNA, which can lead to degradation and loss of the integrity of the RNA. This is especially true when the sample is subjected to high forces, like the ones present during a 12000 rpm spin.
Additionally, spinning at lower speeds can minimize the formation of foamy layers which can cause the RNA to get entrapped and degrade as well.
In general, it is recommended to spin samples at the lowest speed that can still effectively pellet the desired components, as this will help to minimize the potential damage to the RNA or other fragile molecules present in the sample.
It is worth noting that in some protocols, the spin speed might be adjusted based on the volume of the sample, the type of centrifuge used or even the type of RNA isolation kit used. It's always best to check the instructions provided with your specific kit or consult the literature for recommended spin speeds for your samples and equipment.
Regards.
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I have an extra kit from Qiagen Cat: 74104, i was curious to know if i can use the same kit for RNA isolation from blood samples. Will it be possible or not ?
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The RNeasy Mini Kit is specifically designed for the isolation of high-quality RNA from animal cells and tissues, and it may not be suitable for the isolation of RNA from blood samples.
Isolating RNA from blood samples can be more challenging than isolating RNA from cells or tissues, due to the presence of RNA-degrading enzymes and other factors that can interfere with the isolation process. In addition, the RNA yield and purity obtained from blood samples can be lower than those obtained from cells or tissues.
If you want to isolate RNA from blood samples, it is recommended to use a kit specifically designed for this purpose.
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1. We have extracted DNA from nasal swabs and BAL using the Qiagen DNA Blood and Tissue Kit for extraction. There is now a Qiagen QIAamp DNA Microbiome Kit available. Has anyone compared DNA yields with the DNA microbiome kit versus the Blood and Tissue kit?
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hi
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I want to do RNA isolation and RT-PCR of cells seeded on 3d hydrogels with high purity and noninterference of hydrogels. Can you please suggest a detailed protocol to achieve the same?
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Without knowing that with what your hydrogel is made up of, it will be difficult for members to give any right suggestions. I don't work extensively but am exposed to peptide-based and sodium alginate hydrogel. For sodium alginate, we used a decapsulation solution consisting of EDTA, HEPES, and PBS. we reported that in our paper.
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To perform molecular tests, should we isolate DNA or RNA from tumor tissue and why?
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DNA Isolation is better, beacuse the DNA is more stable than RNA
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manufacturers instructions: 100μl serum (or plasma)
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It can vary depending on which kit you are trying to use.
But the range is anywhere between 50uL-5000uL.
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I isolated RNA from the exosome using Total RNA Isolation Kit and stored it directly at -20 C. today I conversted it into cDNA and then ran the qPCR but I didn't get the amplification. I personally think that my RNA may have been degraded as it was stored at -20 C and I added mothing with it. However, various studies and Kits have said that RNA once isolated should firstly be kept in NUCLEASE FREE WATER or ALCOHOL. so kindly tell me as to how to store the RNA properly. and Nuclease free water will be good or the ALCOHOL??? Also, tell me the concentrations as well please.
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Hi Waqar,
in addition to Laura Leighton 's answer, did you check for the quality of your samples. Before and after the storage, you must check the quality first to be sure there is something, but mainly to know if the storage impacted it. it will also give you an idea on the quantity and therefore concentrations, useful for further analysis. there are many ways for checking, bioanalyzer is one of the oldest and best one.
all the best
fred
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Hello, I have problems with RNA isolation from gram positive bacteria producing EPS. I obtain a cloud instead of the classic clear rRNA bands. I tried with liquid nitrogen or beads to break cells and then phenol:isoamilic:chloroform or a commercial kit to extract. I always obtain the same result (a cloud in the photo). Does anyone have a protocol for gram positive mucoid bacteria?
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With the amount of information provided it is hard to interpret your gel.
1. Try isolating RNA from other bacteria E. coli or something and compare if the results are similar. If they are, then the problem is not with Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) but with your gel or your isolation method.
2. Run a DNA/RNA marker alongside the isolated RNA. If the signal close to the wells is your RNA (not DNA contamination) your isolation might be good. It is gels fault that it looks bad. Wells are narrow and not flat so most of your sample runs in the right and left corner of the well, which distorts how your bands look. Maybe the gel was used too early without giving it the time to solidify.
3. Last option, I guess you are using normal Agarose gel and TAE/TBE buffer. So, your sample might not be properly heated and denatured in RNA loading buffer (containing formamide) before loading onto the gel.
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Could you recommend any 96-well format RNA isolation kit suitable for human cancer cell lines, organoids and primary hepatocytes, that yields enough RNA for further RT-qPCR?
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Generally, AllPrep kit Qiagen is considered suitable for 96-well plate.
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I need a recommendation for the use of the RNeasy PowerPlant Kit, Qiagen. I have done RNA isolation tests for Macrocystis pyrifera (kelp), nevertheless I have obtained little amount of RNA. The first step has been replaced by the use of liquid nitrogen (for recommendation) but I think that this step may be the problem.
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Hola yo lo use mucho por mucho tiempo en algas rojas y pardas y no tuve problemas. La biomasa la molía con nitrógeno liquido o con bolitas de vidrio tipo canicas en agitación y ambas me funcionaban.
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I am trying to isolate RNA from Breast tumor and adjacent normal tissues (stored in RNAlater at -20 C)  using Trizol method. After adding isopropanol , I am getting a transparent droplet like pellet that does not stick to the bottom. And there are no visible bands on gel either. 
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I am also extracting RNA from tumor and normal breast tissue samples. However, I am facing a problem with RNA extraction from normal breast tissue sample as the fat content is high. I am getting low concentration of RNA and my A260/A230 is not good.
May I seek for any advise you have?
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Hallo everyone,
I've been having some trouble isolating bacterial RNA from a gram positive organism for a RNA Seq analysis. My problem is that I always get a very intense "cloud band" on the agarose gel around the position where the 5S RNA band should be.. I've tried several protocols and kits, with and without bead beating, Trizol, Lysozyme, but it happens every time.. The first idea was that these are products of degradation, but then again the intensity of the 23S and the 16S bands clearly remains very high. And also, on a Bioanalyzer this 5S band definitely does not look like degradation, but rather as a sharp peak around 127 nt.. Does anyone have any experience with that? If this is in fact the 5S rRNA, why do I get such accumulation, how should I get rid of it and would it temper with my RNA Seq results?
Thank you all in advance!
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Hello Antony, which protocols have you used? In all of them you get the same result shown in the photo?
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Hi, I am using 100mg of N. benthamiana leaves for isolating RNA using Trizol. While following the protocol when I add isopropanol, I get a thick white precipitate. How to get rid of this white precipitate?
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Old or young leaves?
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A protocol for rna isolation from corona virus
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This will depend entirely on what your actual sample type is. Oropharyngeal swabs? Tissue culture media? Virus concentrate? Wastewater? Your best bet is probably to look up some papers that isolated the coronavirus RNA from the same sample type you're working with, and use their protocol or something comparable.
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Revered researchers , I intend to isolate RNA from oral squamous cell carcinoma surgically resected sample. What is the best and economic kit I can use for RNA isolation.
I found the following:
RNAzol® RT - 50ml = 9.6 INR
GenElute Total mammalian RNA purification kit (70purifications)= 40k INR
RNA isolation kit From Sigma Aldrich = 40k INR.
Please suggest me the one I should purchase. I’m a novice in this.
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Thank you for your reply Dr Malcolm Nobre
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Hi there,
I'm fractionating cells and pulling down a viral protein that binds to a specific RNA. I've been trying to extract the RNA but I have no luck. I have tried basic trizol extraction and direct-zol RNA mini prep with no luck. I think the issue comes when I turbo DNAse treat my sample after RNA extraction. I even clean up the sample and there is no RT-PCR product in my control. What should I do? I was thinking of phase separating the trizol with chloroform first and then adding the ethanol and incubating overnight in -20C before doing the zymo kit. What do you think?
Thank you!
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Hi Rebecca, recently I met a similar problem. Also direct-zol extraction from RIP without qPCR signal. Although it has passed a long time, may I know whether you have finally found the actual reason? Thanks a lot!
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We are recently trying to isolate RNA of FACS sorted cells with a population of 100K. The cell population we are sorting is very sensitive and we noticed a lot of cell death after the sorting procedure. For RNAisolation we are using RNeasy Mini Kit from Quiagen. Although we tryied to collect the cells with different conditions (PBS, RLT, BSA coated falcon), we did not manage to isolate any RNA. Our unsorted population however gives us a high RNA yield.
Has anybody had similar problems and has a solution we could try? 
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I have a similar problem! I use same kit and cannot extract good RNA conc (measured in Nanodrop) from FACS sorted cells. I tried to sort in PBS-FBS 2% and then centrifuge my cells and add 350μI RLT Buffer (RNeasy mini kit Qiagen) in the pellet. I usually have approximately 80.000-150.000 cells.
Then I tried to sort directly into lysis buffer, but what about the dilution of lysis buffer when the sample drops in? What is the appropriate amount of lysis to add in what sample volume? Thank you in advance! Jessica Bilstein Anna C Belkina
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I would like to know if you are using RNase to digest RNA outside EVs? If yes, how do you stop RNase before exosomes lysis to protect RNA inside?
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Hello, any ideas on how to inhibit RNase A besides using RNase inhibitor?
I read that EDTA does not work against RNase A, nor does heating as it is very stable. Flash-freezing definitely works? Please let me know how to stop it prior to RNA extraction from EVs.
Thank you.
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I accidently added five fold more chloroform in the initial steps of RNA isolation. What are the consequences of this? Also, if i add more isopropanol to compensate this effect, how both chloroform and isopropanol are related ?
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I recommend to start new RNA extraction and get rid of the previous. Because if you are going to continue rescuing your extraction I assume you will face a complicated issues with no result guarantee!!
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Dear all,
Which is the best method to isolate tumour organoids from methacrylated collagen hydrogel.
I need to isolate RNA from hydrogel cultured tumour organoids.
Thank you for your help!
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That's awesome! Glad to hear it worked :)
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The agarose gel run of RNA samples before DNase treatment gives proper bands for RNA but after DNase treatment, the RNA samples on the gel run band are coming below the ladder size ( I used a 1Kb ladder). I treated RNA samples with DNase at different concentrations of 10 units, 20 units, 8 units of enzyme, and at different incubation time also 30 min. and 25 min. at 37 degrees followed by RNA isolation by Trizol. Yet I am getting the degraded RNA. I am open for your valuable suggestions.