COMPARISON OF RNA PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES

Abstract

RNA is a crucial aspect of life. The extraction of RNA allows for one to be able to code one’s genetic code, therefore obtaining a great deal of information about how life functions and what composes life. The extraction of RNA from human blood samples was performed using the Direct-zol RNA MiniPrep kit, which provided all of the reagents and instructions for the proper extraction of RNA from a sample of bodily fluid. Three reagents, DNA/RNA Shield, TRIzol, and RNAlater were compared in terms of which provided the highest concentration and purtiest sample of RNA being extracted from a single blood. From the data obtained, it was found that there is no significant difference between the results obtained from the three reagents. Therefore, when conducting a larger extraction, any one of the reagents could be used for storage and extraction and will result in statistically similar results when comparing concentration of RNA as well as its purity.