Isolation of RNA, no matter what the source, is nerve wracking, but especially when samples are limited or irreplaceable.  Because RNA is so labile, working quickly but carefully is the key. There are ways to protect your RNA during the procedure so that you can work at a relaxed pace and without so much anxiety. Today I’d like [...]

The weather is finally getting warm which means that we all want to spend more time outdoors getting UV irradiated by natural sunlight instead of under the fluorescent lightbulbs of our labs. That means saving time and working efficiently is of critical importance!
Now is the perfect time to streamline your workflow and find ways to do more with less [...]

Today I wanted to talk about a method that you’ve been doing forever in your science career. Something so basic, so easy, that I bet you don’t even have to think about it. I bet you can do this type of prep in your sleep. What am I talking about? Plasmid preps, of course!
Plasmid DNA [...]

Metagenomic analysis of environmental diversity is an area of research that continues to rapidly expand in microbiology. Approaches to analyze DNA or RNA samples from soil, water, air, and biofilms involve amplification of the entire 16S rRNA sequences and then analysis of the content and abundance of microbes present.  Many researchers are using next generation sequencing for identification of [...]

We’ve all learned how to isolate RNA from tissues, using methods we’ve discussed before in this blog and utilizing our fast and easy column purification based kit.
However, we frequently get requests for isolation of microRNA (miRNA) from tissue samples. MicroRNAs are very short 22 base sequences that play a role in

MO BIO recently launched a method for the isolation of DNA and RNA from a very difficult sample type called biofilm. In a previous article, we explained some of the difficulties associated with working with biofilm and biomats. These sample types are not like any other environmental sample and require specialized chemistry to break through the EPS [...]

When it comes to isolating DNA and RNA from all kinds of samples, the fastest and most thorough approach is high speed bead beating.  Whether you have microbes, mouse tissues, plant seeds and leaves, or difficult soils, homogenization using beads will break open cell walls and membranes and release the desired DNA and RNA so it [...]

One of the most efficient ways to extract nucleic acids from a sample is by smashing it against a hard surface repeatedly under high speed until cell walls and membranes crush from the pressure and release their internal contents. In other words: bead beating.

In a previous article, we discussed the basic characteristics of biofilm samples and factors that influence sample prep and handling. Today we want to share with you some very important tips for isolation of DNA or RNA from biofilm samples.  After working with numerous different biofilms and biomats, these recommendations are based on our experience and [...]

 Our last three soil articles were focused on how to get DNA from soil. In great detail we covered the topics of homogenization and the chemistry (and specifically the lysis solutions) needed to isolate high yields and purity DNA.   Working with DNA is far less stressful compared to working with RNA.  Yields are always higher and there is no [...]