OMG. RNA work.

[nwhiker]

Yowsa. I'm exhausted.

I got to the lab early, because of needing to be up there in time to find a parking spot.

The goal was to extract RNA from plants. Because of things, I only did it from my two mutants (each -/- for a different protein plants) and double mutants (-/- and -/-, so missing both the proteins.). Next week I'll check my overexpressors, which express the protein constitutively, which means "all the freaking time".

Working with RNA is not something I've done before. I've done work with DNA and it's... robust. Scrape it off the bench and it'll be fine robust. RNA... NSM, and I've been dreading this experiment for a while.

There are... lots of RNases (offically ribonucleases) all over the place. These enzymes tear up RNA, and this is not a good thing when you actually want the RNA (note that some of these RNases are secreted by the skin... they tear up RNA which is in virus, and are part of our immune system. I would kill to be able to work in immunology.)

So. Lots of gloves. Lots of RNase inhibitor wash all over the gloves. It was painful.

The good thing is that since we had fresh plants to deal with, I didn't have to use the liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen is fun to play with, less fun to work with.

Anyhow, in the end, I did get my RNA.

Next week, I'll create the cDNA, aka the DNA from that RNA, and then probe it to see if the genes that should be gone or gone or just knocked down.

Such fun. I absolutely love lab work.

Umm. I'm supposed to process A LOT of data over the next few weeks, and get cracking on writing my damn thesis. A lot LESS fun. Heh.