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AAT Bioquest

What is a good RNA concentration?

Posted November 19, 2020


Answer

Molecular biology experiments such as reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) use RNA populations to create complementary DNA (cDNA). To assess RNA concentration and purity, methods such as UV spectroscopy are traditionally used. In this method, the absorbance of RNA is measured at 260 and 280 nm and a ratio of the two (A260/A280) is used to assess RNA purity. Highly purified RNA samples have an A260/A280 ratio of 1.8 to 2.1.

The following table outlines the recommended range of input RNA for RT-PCR.

RNA TypeRange
Total RNA10 pg – 5 μg
Poly(A) RNA10 pg – 0.5 μg
Specific RNA0.01 pg - 0.5 μg
Additional resources

An overview of technical considerations when using quantitative real-time PCR analysis of gene expression in human exercise research.

StrandBrite™ Green Fluorimetric RNA Quantitation Kit *Optimized for Microplate Readers*

DNA and RNA