Rapid High Quality RNA Preparation from Pine Seedlings

Conventional RNA extraction methods have been shown to produce poor quality RNA when applied to pine and other gymnosperms. We present a protocol for extracting highly pure RNA from pine. Modifications to conventional procedures include: 1) the use of seedlings, 2) the use of phenol and PVP to rapidly remove DNA, proteins and pigments, and 3) the use of salt precipitation to remove other contaminating compounds.

The procedure can be completed in less than eight hours. Yield and purity were monitored by denaturing gel electrophoresis and by UV absorbance (A260 /A280 and A260/A230). These ratios were over 2, indicating an absence of contaminating metabolites. Additionally, a new absorbance ratio (A260/A210) was introduced to monitor the RNA purity in each step (it indicates the ratio of covalent links in the solution belonging to RNA).

The yield was around 300 µg total RNA per gram of tissue of Pinus sylvestris and over 400 µg of total RNA per gram of P. pinaster tissue, which is a high recovery (more than 63%) for gymnosperms. The RNA was of sufficient quality for use in a RT-PCR reaction that amplified 1 kb of the pine GS gene. This protocol has been applied with success to other woody plants like Populus species.

Abbreviations: DEPC, diethyl pyrocarbonate; AMV, avian myeloblastosis virus; FW, fresh weight.