BioStringTM Total RNA Kit was evaluated using animal and plant tissue samples to assess RNA yield, purity and integrity in a silica membrane spin-column workflow. The validation included manual extraction from 20 mg animal tissues and 100 mg plant tissues, with purified RNA analyzed by Nanodrop and agarose gel electrophoresis.
In animal tissue testing, RNA was extracted from kidney, spleen and liver samples and compared with a reference column-based RNA extraction workflow. From 20 mg tissue input, RNA yields ranged from 56–60 µg for kidney, 50–52 µg for spleen, and 81–105 µg for liver samples. The measured A260/280 values were 2.06–2.11, and A260/230 values were generally within 2.06–2.23, supporting recovery of RNA with suitable purity for routine downstream analysis.
Plant tissue extraction was further evaluated using pepper leaves, pumpkin leaves and Pachira macrocarpa leaves. From 100 mg plant input, the kit produced RNA yields of 55.47–70.31 µg from pepper leaves, 76.26–77.20 µg from pumpkin leaves and 46.13–50.31 µg from Pachira macrocarpa leaves. A260/280 values were 1.97–1.99, with most A260/230 values above 2.2 in the tested samples.
Electrophoresis analysis showed intact RNA band patterns from both animal and plant samples, supporting RNA integrity after extraction. The kit format also supports optional on-column DNase treatment for applications sensitive to residual genomic DNA, and the purified RNA is suitable for downstream workflows such as RT-PCR, Northern blotting, poly(A)+ RNA purification, nuclease protection and in vitro translation.
