FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Amplification
Q. How much tissue would you need for RNA amplification?
A. The amount of material we require is dependent on the number of rounds on amplification. We require ≈100 ng of total RNA for one round of amplification and any less than this will require two or more rounds. Since amplification is known to introduce systematic biases, it is better to provide us with as much material as possible.
For more information: Services » Gene expression » How much tissue do I need?
For more information: Protocols » Gene expression » Amplification
Q. Can I send you already extracted RNA for amplification?
A. You can send extracted RNA but we would need to know roughly how much RNA each sample contains to be able to add the correct spike amount to the amplification reactions.
For more information: Services » Gene expression » How much tissue do I need?
For more information: Protocols » Gene expression » RNA Quality Control
For more information: Services » Gene expression » Preparing and sending samples
Q. Can I perform the amplification reaction myself and then send you the amplified RNA for labelling?
A. You can perform the amplification reaction yourself but you will not then have the spike controls that can be very useful for downstream analysis and quality control of your experiment. Please contact us before performing any amplification reactions.
For more information: Protocols » Gene expression
For more information: Services » Gene expression » Preparing and sending samples
Q. Do you suggest performing individual amplifications for each sample and each control, or can you perform a larger-scale big amplification reaction and then split this into aliquots for the labelling?
A. Since most biologists wish to assess the differences between biological replicates, it would be better to perform independent amplification reactions for each of the samples and controls.
For more information: Protocols » Gene expression
For more information: Services » Analysis
Q. I heard that PCR amplification requires less starting material than Eberwine amplification. Do you recommend use of PCR amplification?
A. We routinely perform Eberwine amplifications and we do not recommend use of PCR amplification.
For more information: Protocols » Gene expression » Amplification
