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Molecular Diagnostics and Genetics |
1
Hitachi Chemical Research Center, Irvine, CA 92612.
2
Goshomiya Works, Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.,
Shimodate 308, Japan.
3
Soane BioSciences, Hayward, CA 94545-3716.
4
Department of Pathology, University of California,
Irvine, CA 92697.
a Address correspondence to this author at: 1003 Health Sciences Road West, Irvine, CA 92612. Fax 714-725-2727; e-mail mmitsuha{at}uci.edu.
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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The ratio of optical absorbance at 260 nm and 280 nm is the most common technique for the quality assessment of RNA; however, this method provides only information about whether proteins are contaminating the samples. Although Northern blot or reverse transcription-PCR is used to detect housekeeping genes, the existence of PCR products of these genes in samples does not guarantee that the RNA is entirely intact. We previously developed an assay to determine the amount of total mRNA by capturing mRNA onto oligo(dT)-immobilized microplates, followed by YOYO-1 (Molecular Probes) fluorescence measurement (4) or colorimetric detection of incorporated biotin-mononucleotides during cDNA synthesis on the microplate (5). However, quantification of mRNA does not guarantee that the mRNA is free from degradation, because partially digested mRNA may be captured by oligo(dT). When purified mRNA is separated by agarose gel electrophoresis and stained with ethidium bromide, one can see the smear of mRNA. If the smear is distributed to the large molecular weight region of the gel, the mRNA can be considered to be of good quality. However, this assay is not quantitative. Therefore, no suitable procedure is available for the analysis of the quality of mRNA.
Interestingly, a gold standard method exists for total RNA: agarose gel electrophoresis to identify two to three major bands: 28S, 18S, and 7S rRNA (6). If these bands disappear, the RNA is considered useless as a sample because the RNA has been digested by contaminating RNases during the purification procedure. Although agarose gel electrophoresis is easy, one should take extra care against RNase contamination in the electrophoresis chamber, loading buffer, separation buffer, and agarose gel. Moreover, because of the low sensitivity of ethidium bromide toward RNA, a relatively large quantity of purified RNA is consumed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Therefore, a demand exists for RNase-free easy-to-use assay tools for sensitive detection of rRNA. Here, we report on disposable plastic chips for very sensitive rRNA analysis, which require small sample volumes (<13 µL) for analysis.
| Materials and Methods |
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X174 HaeIII (Life Technologies),
HindIII (Promega), and U937 cells (American Type Culture
Collection) were purchased from designated suppliers. All other
chemicals were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. Plastic chips for
microchannel electrophoresis (RNA chips) were supplied at Goshomiya
Works, Hitachi Chemical (Shimodate, Japan; Fig. 1
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analysis of surface characteristics of microchannels
The RNA chip was loaded into a vacuum chamber, and the profiles of
three different portions of the microchannel on the chip were analyzed
by three-dimensional scanning electron microscopy (ERA-8000, Elionix)
(7).
rna sample preparation
U937 cells were grown in RPMI 1640 containing 100 000 units/L
penicillin, 100 mg/L streptomycin, and 100 mL/L fetal calf serum at
37 °C in CO2:air, 5:95 (by volume), and were
subcultured two to three times a week, as described previously
(4). Viability was always >90%, as assessed by the
exclusion of trypan blue. The number of cells was determined with a
hemocytometer. Fresh lung tissues were collected from rats and
immediately processed for RNA preparation. Samples were mixed with
chaotropic buffer (Toyobo) and applied to an automatic RNA extractor
(MFX-2000, Toyobo). RNA was bound to silica beads; unbound materials
were then removed by magnetic separation, according to the
manufacturer's protocol.
conventional agarose gel electrophoresis
RNA samples were mixed with loading buffer (2.5 g/L bromphenol
blue, 2.5 g/L xylene cyanol FF, 1 mmol/L EDTA, and 400 g/L sucrose in
diethylpyrocarbonate-treated water) and applied to a 1.0% agarose gel,
which was prepared in 1x Tris-borate-EDTA buffer. Electrophoresis was
conducted in 1x Tris-borate-EDTA buffer containing 0.1 mg/L ethidium
bromide, at a constant voltage of 100 V for ~30 min.
equipment for microchannel electrophoresis
RNA chips were mounted on a PlexiglasTM
electrophoresis stage (Soane BioSciences) and placed on a fluorescent
microscope (Microphot-FXA, Nikon) equipped with a 20x CF Plan ELWD
objective lens (Technical Instruments), a 546/10 nm excitation filter,
a 580 nm dichroic mirror, a 590 nm G-1B emission filter (Nikon), and a
100 W mercury lamp (model HB 10101AF). Fluorescent signals were
collected by a photometer (D104B, Photon Technology International), and
digital data were collected on a personal computer equipped with
interface boards (DT 2837 A/D and DT 2815 D/A board, Data Translation),
as described previously (8). The high voltage power supply
was purchased from Soane BioSciences.
procedure for microchannel electrophoresis
Separation buffer consisting of 4 g/L
hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), 44.75 mmol/L Tris, 44.75
mmol/L boric acid, pH 8.0, and 5 mg/L ethidium bromide was loaded into
reservoirs I, II, and III; the buffer filled the channels by both
capillary action and vacuum from reservoir IV until all air bubbles
were removed. RNA samples were then applied to reservoir IV. To apply
samples into the injection channel (vertical channel in Fig. 1A
),
electrophoresis was conducted with voltages of 100, 300, 0, and 0 V at
reservoirs I, II, III, and IV, respectively. By viewing the cross
section between the injection and separation channels (horizontal
channel in Fig. 1A
) with the fluorescent microscope, we confirmed that
sample had crossed the separation channel. The microscope was then
moved to the detection point, 0.55 cm downstream from the cross
section between the injection and separation channels. Electrophoretic
separation was started by applying voltages of 0, 500, 1000, and 500 V
at reservoirs I, II, III, and IV, respectively.
| Results |
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separation profile of small fragments of dna
A DNA size marker, HaeIII digest of
X174, was
applied to the chip, and separation was detected 5 cm downstream from
the cross section between the injection and separation channels. As
shown in Fig. 3
, all DNA fragments from 72 to 1353 bp were clearly separated
with a linear relationship between size (log scale) and separation time
(linear scale; Fig. 3
, inset). Moreover, the fluorescence intensity of
the larger fragments was always higher than that of the smaller
fragments. This is reasonable because each fragment in the mixture
exists in the same molar concentration, and large DNA fragments will
react with more ethidium bromide, giving more-intense bands. Another
point of emphasis is the separation of the 271- and 281-bp fragments,
suggesting that the chip provides at least 10-bp resolution under these
conditions.
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To determine the detection limit, the same DNA marker was diluted from
1 g/L to 1 mg/L (1 µg/µL to 1 ng/µL), and electrophoresis was
conducted in the chip. We set the detection point at 4 cm downstream
from the cross section between the injection and separation channels.
As shown in Fig. 4
, fluorescent signals of the higher molecular weight fragments
(>603 bp in length) were detected for DNA samples at concentrations as
low as 0.01 g/L (0.01 µg/µL).
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separation profile of rna
In general, RNA is separated conventionally by denaturing gel
electrophoresis to prevent complicated secondary structure
(9)(10). However, two rRNA bands are clearly and
reproducibly identified in conventional agarose gel electrophoresis
(Fig. 5
, inset). Therefore, in this study RNA was separated in the chip
with 4 g/L HPMC as the sieving polymer without any denaturing agent. As
shown in Fig. 5
, both 28S and 18S RNA were separated in the chip even
with a separation length as short as 1 cm (Fig. 5A
, upper trace),
although a longer separation channel (4 cm) exhibited better resolution
(Fig. 5A
, lower trace). Small RNA fragments containing 7S rRNA, 45S
tRNA, and possibly RNA fragments migrated earlier than 18S rRNA and
formed additional peak(s). The RNAs were not separated without using
sieving polymers, and the optimal concentration of HPMC was 4 g/L. HPMC
>4 g/L is very viscous and is difficult to fill into entire channels.
HMPC <0.4 g/L exhibits poor resolution for the separation of 18S and
28S rRNA (data not shown). To determine the approximate size of each
peak, a
HindIII marker was also separated in the same
chip. As shown in the lower trace of Fig. 5B
, the largest RNA peak
migrated at the spot similar to 20272322 bp, suggesting that the peak
was 28S rRNA. Interestingly, the second largest peak (probably 18S
rRNA) migrated at the spot similar to 564 bp in RNA chips, whereas in
agarose gel electrophoresis this RNA migrated more slowly than 564 bp.
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The separation pattern of these three peaks (28S, 18S, and small
fragments) was reproducible when the samples were repeatedly applied to
the same chip (intraassay; Fig. 5B
). The chip-to-chip variation was
also negligible (Fig. 5
). We have also analyzed various RNA samples
derived from different tissues and cultured cells. The results were
always consistent and equivalent to those of conventional agarose gel
electrophoresis. When RNA was prepared from RNase-rich pancreas, small
intestine, or granulocytes, rRNA was not detected by the chip or by
agarose gel electrophoresis (data not shown).
RNA samples were diluted and applied to the chip to determine the
detection limit of this assay. Interestingly, the fluorescent signals
of rRNA were detected from an RNA sample equivalent to 200 cells/µL
(Fig. 6
). In parallel experiments, these diluted samples were also
analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. When conventional settings of
an ultraviolet illuminator and ethidium bromide stain were used, rRNA
bands were visible from samples equivalent to 20 000 cells/µL (data
not shown). For the RNA chip assays, the actual injection volume for
each separation was ~0.1 nL (0.0001 mm at the cross
section between the injection and separation channels), suggesting that
each rRNA peak was derived from less than 1/50 of the rRNA in a single
cell (Fig. 6
).
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| Discussion |
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The elution time was consistent when samples of the same concentration were applied; however, the elution time was shifted, depending on the concentration of DNA or RNA. This was confirmed at three different locations: the Hitachi Chemical Research Center in Irvine, CA; Soane Biosciences in Hayward, CA; and the Goshomiya Works, Hitachi Chemical Co., Shimodate, Japan. The amount of incorporated ethidium bromide may be different, depending on the concentrations of DNA or RNA, and this induces different electrophoretic characteristics as well as electroosmotic flow. The DNA:DNA, RNA:RNA, or DNA/RNA:HPMC interaction may be altered in different concentration of nucleic acids, and this may induce different migration patterns. Although migration time varied among different concentrations of DNA or RNA, two peaks of rRNA (18S and 28S) were always detected separately in any concentrations.
We have also separated rRNA in conventional capillary electrophoresis equipped with a laser (Beckman). However, the electrophoresis on the chip exhibited major advantages over capillary electrophoresis. First, we can view the condition of channels anywhere within the chip, using the fluorescent microscope or even by eye, which helps us to confirm electrophoresis and to solve many mechanical troubles, such as bubbling and plugging. We can also observe fluorescent signals during electrophoresis and confirm that samples are migrating in the right direction. In addition, we can easily change the length of electrophoresis by moving the detection point anywhere along the channels. Because capillary electrophoresis reuses the same capillary over and over again, extensive washing steps are unavoidable between electrophoretic runs. This is problematic because the surface characteristics of the inner wall of the capillary may change after the washing process and may produce irreproducible results. It also requires time-consuming steps to exchange capillaries. More importantly, if an RNase-rich sample is applied, one should take extra care to remove any contaminating RNases from the capillaries. These problems can be entirely eliminated by using a disposable plastic chip.
Recently, microfabricated chip-based electrophoresis has been reported from several laboratories (11)(12)(13). However, these chips utilized glass or silica as substrates, which are not suitable for mass production. Application of these glass/silica chips is also limited to DNA at this time. In contrast to DNA applications, rRNA separation does not require high resolution and allows us to use channels 100 µm in width. We have also evaluated narrower plastic channels; however, narrow channels produced many technical problems. The chips are made by injection-molded technology, similar to that of McCormick et al. (8), and can be produced in large quantities at low cost. Appropriate acrylic substrates were also selected to minimize autofluorescence. Furthermore, during the manufacturing process, thin plastic films are automatically adhered on the surface of the chip to cover the injection and separation channels. This process makes the chip RNase-free. Therefore, microchannel electrophoresis on a plastic chip as described in this study is ideal for rRNA analysis.
The presence of rRNA in the sample does not always guarantee that mRNA is free from degradation. Some RNases may degrade mRNA more than rRNA. The complicated secondary structure of rRNA may prevent the attack of RNases. In fact, substantial degradation of specific mRNA is sometimes observed in a Northern blot, in spite of the presence of rRNA. We do not know whether mRNA degradation occurs physiologically in the living cells or during the purification process. However, if rRNA disappears from the purified RNA samples, there is no argument that the sample is useless for further analysis. Therefore, we believe that the present chip is useful as an initial quality-control method for any RNA-related experiments and diagnostics.
| Acknowledgments |
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| References |
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