Nucleic Acid Quality Assessment

NanoDrop® Spectrophotometer

Instrument: NanoDrop® ND-1000 Spectrophotometer
Application: Accurate and reproducible measurement of nucleic acid samples; use only 1-2 uL without dilution.

This is a free service provided by the URGRC; NanoDrop® is available for your use in the Medical Center, room G-7415.

Note: The NanoDrop® is unavailable on Thursday mornings from 8:45 to 10:45 and network connectivity is not working correctly. Please remember to bring either a diskette or USB memory stick for your data.

Please see the user manual for more detailed information on the instrument's use.

Key Features

Full spectrum data is automatically archived in a text delimited file on the controller PC and is easily reviewed using the Data Viewer feature.
260/280 and 260/230 ratios calculated and displayed.
- DNA Quality:
  - DNA should be quantified using a spectrophotometer. We have provided a Nanodrop workstation for free general use in G7415 at the Medical Center. As a general guideline, DNA free of major contamination should provide OD260/280 of 1.7 - 1.9 and OD260/230 of ~2.0. Lower OD260/280 usually indicates protein contamination while high ratios are indicative of organic contamination.
  - The URGRC also has a Qubit Flourometer for nucleic acid quantitation.
  - Comparison of Qubit vs. Nanodrop 1000.

Sample Output Measurement

NanoDrop sample output measurement

Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer

Instrument: Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer
Application: Faster than gels (digital data in 30 minutes for quality and quantity of up to 11 samples); reproducible and complete digital data.

RNA samples can be submitted to the URGRC for analysis:

Nanochip or Picochip: $7/sample; Submit at least 3ul of sample or 5ul if NanoDrop quantification is required.
Small RNA Bioanalysis : $30 per chip.
High Sensitivity Bioanalysis: $40 per chip.
48-72 hour turnaround time; you will receive a digital report through your email
Bioanalyzer sample registration form
Sample drop-off location and pick-up times

Links for Additional Information

Bioanalyzer Interpretations For Customers
Agilent Total RNA Story
RNA Integrity Number (RIN)
- RIN values of >7.0 are recommended for most applications. Samples with lower RIN values can be used with success, please ask the URGRC if you are concerned about this with your samples. It is important that RIN values are consistent throughout all samples in a given study to ensure reliable and accurate results.