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Can I save cDNA to be assessed two years later by RNA-seq?

I am not an expert on this, can I save cDNA to be assessed two years later by RNA-seq (Nextseq 550)? I won't have money to sequence at year 1 and 2 of my project, but will have at year 3. I am working with algae, and I know RNA is unstable. What should I do? Save the biomass at -80°C, save the RNA, or save the cDNA?

Many thanks

rna-seq
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updated by Ram Ram • written by claudio.saez.a • claudio.saez.a

1 answer

Yes you can.

You can save it either as RNA at -80°C or as cDNA. cDNA is often stored as -20°C. cDNA is arguably more stable than RNA and may be preferred for long term storage. However, RNA is often fine for long periods, especially if the RNA isolation effectively removed all protein (along with endogenous RNAases) and the RNA is suspended in an appropriate buffer. Avoid freeze/thaw cycles. There are also products such as RNAlater that allow you to save cells or tissue and do the RNA isolation later.

If I was in your situation I would probably do total RNA isolation, aliquot the resulting RNA into several individual tubes and store at -80°C until it is time to do the experiment. Good luck.

p.s. this is more of a molecular biology question than a bioinformatics question. The SeqAnswers forum has a lot of posts on these kinds of questions.

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updated by Ram Ram • written by Malachi Griffith Malachi Griffith

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