A method of carrying out high-throughput RNA extraction has been developed that significantly cuts the time and costs associated with traditional sample preparation
The method, developed by University of Edinburgh scientists, enables fast extraction from the widely used plant model Arabidopsis thaliana, for gene expression studies.
Using an automated procedure, researchers estimate that 192 samples in two 96-well plates can be processed in less than half a day.
The approach reduces the bottleneck associated with RNA extraction from multiple plant samples in systems-level genomic studies.
The high throughput method, developed for automated use, can also be performed manually with standard equipment found in the majority of labs.
The method was established using an illustra RNAspin 96 RNA isolation kit from GE Healthcare and a Freedom Evo liquid handling robot from Tecan Group.
The method produces consistent, reproducible yields of high quality RNA which average 8.9ug of total RNA per sample, equivalent to about 20 mg plant tissue.
The purified RNA is suitable for subsequent qPCR analysis, for the expression of more than 500 genes in triplicate from each sample.
Lorraine Kerr of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, who helped develop the method, said: "An automated method increases throughput, enabling complex systems-level experiments to be performed easily and quickly".
"The system also allows gene expression studies to be done to a high standard, without the labour of manual experiments."
