RNase Zap (Invitrogen) and RNase Away (Molecular Bioproducts)

[Aawara Chowdhury]

In <Wlnml.10820$RJ7.1304 from newsfe18.iad>,
 DK <dk from no.email.thankstospam.net> wrote:

> Take your pick. I'd contend that with already clean glassware that was 
> not handled by bare hands neither is necessary. The "RNAses are so 
> everywhere that the only way to get rid of them is to treat everything 
> with some magic expensive solutions" is basically a myth. 

Let me elaborate on this statement, because I take issue with it in part.

My Ph.D. thesis was on the structure of retroviral RNAs.  The structural
analysis, obtained in part by digestion with structure/sequence specific
RNases of end-labeled viral RNAs, was exquisitely sensitive to nuclease
contamination.  I've recovered RNase A activity in bottles that were
autoclaved .....

Having said that, for 99% of uses, the background level of RNase makes
no difference at all.  Further, while I can appreciate that there may
be a loss of signal if one does a Northern for full-length mRNA, these
days, most quantitation is performed using techniques such as real-time
PCR of reverse-transcribed samples.  Such techniques are much less
sensitive to small amounts of degradation by RNases in the environment.

AC
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