Principle

The NucleoBond® RNA Soil Kit is designed for the purification of RNA from soil and sediment samples. In combination with the DNA Set for NucleoBond® RNA Soil (# 740141 see above order information), RNA and DNA can be isolated from the same soil sample. Thus, purified nucleic acids are suitable e.g., for metagenomic studies, where the genome and transcriptome are analyzed from the same sample.

Most soils contain relatively low amounts of RNA, compared to DNA. Therefore, the sample input needs to be increased in order to gain acceptable RNA yields. The standard protocol of this kit uses four NucleoSpin® Bead Tubes Type A that can be filled with 250–500 mg of one soil sample each, resulting in a total sample amount of 1–2 g. This sample input amount will usually result in a RNA yield in the range from 1–10 μg. If working with four bead tubes per sample is too cumbersome, the content of four bead tubes can be combined into one 15 mL tube. This tube can be filled with 1–2 g of soil sample and four times the volume of Buffer E1, PCI and, if applicable, Buffer OPT. On the other hand, if a specific soil contains high amounts of RNA, the number of NucleoSpin® Bead Tubes Type A can also be reduced.

NucleoBond® RNA Soil procedure:

Technical specifications

Applications*

• RNA isolation from soil for metagenomic analysis
• Typical downstream applications: real-time RT-PCR, Northern blotting, primer extension, array technology, RNase protection assays

* Kits to be used for research purposes only