To assay the integrity of the RNA, analyze 1 ul of each sample on a Bioanalyzer 2100 by using an RNA Pico/Nano chip (follow Agilent’s protocol for running chips). The qualitative range of the PicoChip assay is 200-5,000 pg/ul, and the qualitative range of the NanoChip assay is 5-500 ng/ul.
1) Problem (RNA is degraded); Possible reason (RNase contamination); Solution (Use only RNase-free reagents, use aerosol-resistant filter pipette tips, change gloves often an keep samples on ice at all times. If working with tissue, homogenize tissue sample immediately collection and wash tissue before homogenization to remove blood.).
2) Problem (RNA yields are low); Possible reason (Inefficient immnoaffinity purification caused by RNase contamination, EDTA present in buffers, inefficient cell/tissue lysis); Possible solutions (Ensure that polysome integrity is maintained by adding cycloheximide, MgCl2 and RNase inhibitors to all solutions, and by keeping samples on ice at all times; Ensure that protease inhibitors used do not contain EDTA; Ensure that a tight-fitting homogenizer similar to the one listed in the equipment section is used. Use a volume of lysis buffer that keeps a ratio of about 25-50 mg tissue:1 ml tissue lysis buffer. Save aliquots of and perform western blots on each step of the purification. Use a non-mouse GFP antibody for western blot analysis: efficiency of purifications can be checked by running western blots (against EGFP) with IP input, unbound and immunopurified samples).
3) Problem (RNA is not of high enough concentration for use in downstream applications); Possible reason (RNA is diluted during cleanup); Solution (Concentrate RNA samples using a vacuum concentrator, with no or low heating settings).