MinElute Gel Extraction Kit

The MinElute spin columns included in the following kits should be stored at 2–8°C upon arrival: AllPrep DNA/RNA Micro, EpiTect Fast DNA Bisulfite, EpiTect Fast FFPE Bisulfite, EpiTect Fast LyseAll Bisulfite, EpiTect Plus DNA Bisulfite, EpiTect Plus FFPE Bisulfite, EpiTect Plus LyseAll Bisulfite, exoRNeasy Serum/plasma Maxi, exoRNeasy Serum/Plasma Midi, GeneRead DNA FFPE, GeneRead rRNA Depletion, GeneRead Size Selection, MinElute Gel Extraction, MinElute PCR Purification, MinElute Reaction Cleanup, miRNeasy FFPE, miRNeasy Micro, miRNeasy Serum/Plasma, QIAamp DNA FFPE, QIAamp DNA Investigator, QIAamp DNA Micro, QIAamp MinElute Media, QIAamp MinElute Virus Spin, QIAamp MinElute Virus Vacuum, RNeasy FFPE, RNeasy Micro, RNeasy Plus Micro.

Short-term storage (up to 4 weeks) at room temperature (15–25°C) does not affect the performance. However, for optimal performance and quality, storage temperature should not exceed 25°C.

Yes. The QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit for extraction of DNA from gels can also be used for RNA gel extraction. Please see a user-developed procedure below, which was kindly provided by J. Knobloch, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany. Note that this protocol has not been thoroughly tested and optimized by QIAGEN. QIAquick Gel Extraction Kits are not guaranteed to be RNase-free.

1. Excise the RNA fragment from the formaldehyde agarose gel with a clean, sharp scalpel.
2. Weigh the gel slice, and record the weight. Soak the gel slice in TE buffer for 25 min at room temperature with gentle shaking.
3. Remove the gel slice from the TE buffer, and place it in a colorless tube. Add 6 volumes of Buffer QG to 1 volume of gel, based on the gel weight (100 mg ~ 100 µl).
4. Incubate at 58°C for 25 min. To help dissolve the gel, mix by vortexing the tube every 2–3 min during the incubation.
5. Continue the QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit Protocol (using a microcentrifuge) in the QIAquick Spin Handbook, beginning with step 4.

Figure 1:

A. Total RNA was isolated from the parasitic blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni using the RNeasy Mini Kit and run on a formaldehyde agarose (1.2%) gel. (Note: The 28S rRNA in S. mansoni contains a break site so that the rRNA splits into two parts, which run on a gel at the same size as the 18S rRNA.) The rRNA bands were excised and treated as described above (left lane) or using 10 volumes of Buffer QG in step 3 (right lane).

B. The extracted RNA was then analyzed on a new formaldehyde agarose gel. (Data kindly provided by J. Knobloch, Department of Genetic Parasitology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany).

DNA fragments purified with the QIAGEN DNA Cleanup Systems, i.e., the QIAquick PCR Purification Kit, the MinElute Reaction Cleanup Kit, the QIAEX II Gel Extraction Kit etc. may float out of the loading wells of agarose gels due to residual ethanol carried over from the wash step with Buffer PE (despite the addtition of glycerol-containing loading buffer).

Use either of the following options to remove residual ethanol from the eluate:

• re-purify the sample using a QIAquick-, or MinElute column, or QIAEX II resin
• incubate the eluate at 56°C for 10 min to evaporate the ethanol
• dry down the sample in a vacuum centrifuge, and resuspend the pellet in a small volume of sterile water