Tempus™ Spin RNA Isolation Kit (Invitrogen™)

This Applied Biosystems™ product is for the fast, easy, glass fiber filter–based isolation of RNA from blood using standard laboratory equipment in about one hour. Contains sufficient reagents for RNA purification from 50 samples.

• Isolate high-quality RNA from blood, suitable for real-time PCR and microarray analysis
• Obtain highly stable RNA virtually free of RNase activity, contaminating gDNA, or RT-PCR inhibitors
• Easy workflow requires only standard laboratory centrifuges and ∼1 hour of time
• No separate RBC lysis or proteinase K treatment required

Gene expression profiling and analysis of whole blood is becoming an increasingly important life science tool. Accurately measuring the molecular profile of blood-based RNA transcripts is a critical need in areas of research such as disease association studies, biomarker discovery and validation, and monitoring of drug treatment regimes.

Accessory Product
The highly unstable nature of RNA transcripts ex vivo creates an even greater challenge for accurate expression analysis. Ongoing metabolic changes can drastically affect gene expression profiles in as little as one hour in standard blood collection tubes (see Figure). Use of the Applied Biosystems™ Tempus™ Blood RNA Tubes (SKU #4342792) is therefore recommended. These tubes are designed for direct collection of 3 mL of blood into a plastic, evacuated blood collection tube containing RNA Stabilizing Reagent. The RNA, and therefore the expression profile, is stable in the collection tube for up to five days at room temperature and minimally 7 days at 4°C (see Figure).

Performance with Ease
The ability of the Tempus™ system (Tempus™ Blood RNA Tubes and Tempus™ Spin RNA Isolation Kit) to stabilize RNA expression profiles has been tested over a range of storage conditions (see Figure). The combination provides stable RNA, high yields of purified RNA (observed yields of 6–25 μg from a full blood draw from normal, healthy donors), and high-quality RNA (A260/280 ratio greater than 1.9 and RIN greater than 7.0) suitable for use in downstream applications such as quantitative PCR, microarray profiling, and other RNA analysis methods.