Date: September 14, 1998Tables 1-4

While at one time RNA isolation was a painstaking endeavor, requiring careful sterilization of reagents, treatment of equipment, and lengthy centrifugation--often stretching over several days--kits for total RNA purification now provide rapid protocols with RNase-free reagents that can cut prep time down to under an hour. As important as saving time, these quick, often single-step protocols also reduce the possibility of degradation, always a concern with RNA preparation, particularly for those interested in large molecular weight RNA. And as high throughput becomes more prevalent, the ability to process many samples quickly is a definite boon.

Furthermore, while for some expression studies poly (A)+RNA is considered a necessity, total RNA is finding increasingly more applications, as superior tools for identifying mRNA species obviate the need to isolate message away from total RNA. Accordingly, many companies offer kits for preparing total RNA that are...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Join for free todayAlready a member?Login Here