Protecting RNA in the jungle

[as]

"Bo Johansen" <boj at bot.ku.dk> wrote in message 
news:dds6e1$ltt$2 at news.net.uni-c.dk...
> Hi
>
> I am going on a trip to collect RNA samples from flower buds in the jungle 
> of plants that cannot be cultivated. It is impossible to bring liquid 
> nitrogen on the trip, and I won't get into a lab for 2-3 weeks. What do I 
> do.
>
> I have thought of collecting the material in Eppendorph tubes, add 1 ml og 
> 2.5 M LiCl and crush the material with a pistil. Close the tube and leave 
> it until I get to a lab
>
> Or
>
> Collecting the material in an Eppendorph tube, add 1 ml og  4M guanidine 
> isothiocyanate, 25mM sodium citrate, pH7, 0.5% sarcosyl, 100mM 
> b-mercaptoethanolm, crush the material and leave it until I get to a lab.
>
> Will any of these methods leave the RNA intact or are there other methods?
>
> Bo


Hi Bo.
We use either Trizol (Invitrogen) or RNAlater (ambion or qiagen) 
http://www.ambion.com/techlib/prot/bp_7020.pdf for the purpose of storing 
samples for RNA extraction.
If you use Trizol it is best to keep the samples cold or frozen. I think it 
will be best NOT to crush the material until you come home.
Regards A.Salanti. Panum.