RNA isolation kits can isolate high-quality RNA from various tissue and organism types. Specialized kits are available for small RNA strands. Cell degradation is critical for RNA isolation. Common kits work with all tissue and cell types and take about 20 minutes. Sample volume needed varies between kits. Comparison tables are available online.
Most ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolation kits are capable of isolating high-quality RNA from a wide variety of tissue and organism types, including plants, animals, and viruses. Mitochondrial and ribosomal RNA – mRNA and rRNA, respectively – may require specialized RNA isolation kits specific to small strands of RNA. Other factors that may differ between isolation kits are the amount of samples each kit can process and the time it takes to fully process a sample.
The most common types of RNA isolation kits can be used for a wide variety of applications, regardless of where the RNA is coming from. Mammalian cells and tissues are among the most widely used sources for RNA isolation and purification. Plant cells and viruses are also used in molecular biology experiments that require the use of an RNA isolation kit.
Once the tissue or blood sample has been collected, it must be prepared for RNA isolation during a critical process known as cell degradation, separation, or destruction. If the cellular material is not completely destroyed, the RNA isolation process will produce less RNA. The best RNA isolation kits include materials and supplies for cell degradation before isolation and RNA purification after isolation.
In special cases where an experiment calls for mRNA or rRNA, specialized RNA isolation kits are available for especially small RNA strands. The materials and supplies included in such a kit may vary in quantity and size. These RNA isolation kits are less common than general purpose RNA kits and there may be a substantial difference in cost.
Many common RNA isolation kits are designed for use with all tissue and cell types and can complete a reaction within about 20 minutes. The time required for complete cell degradation can vary depending on where in the body the cells have been harvested. In addition to the cellular degradation step, the RNA isolation process and subsequent purification are relatively standard in terms of procedure and time.
Another feature that may be specific to some kits is the amount of sample needed to run the reaction. While some isolation kits may require a relatively large sample volume, other kits may work well with a smaller volume. This difference can be an advantage if sample volume is a limiting factor.
Several manufacturers of RNA isolation kits have comparison tables available on the Internet. These charts can be used to see the differences between the various kits they produce. Differences can include types of specialized applications, chemicals, and sample volumes required.
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