RNA isolation from mammalian samples

Abstract

RNA can be extracted from cultured cells, peripheral blood, bone marrow, plasma, serum, body fluids, and fresh or frozen tissues. RNA can also be extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Methods for RNA extraction can be divided into three groups: phenol/chloroform extraction, silica spin-column absorption, and isopycnic gradient centrifugation. Two different RNA isolation procedures are described in this unit. The first basic protocol describes a one-step isolation involving monophasic lysis with guanidine isothiocyanate and phenol followed by chloroform extraction. The second basic protocol describes a silica-column separation method for RNA isolation.