2 Mercaptoethanol Function in RNA Isolation
The role of mercaptoethanol in RNA extraction
Husband RNA extraction is a matter of molecular biology. The process is complicated, and many factors affect success or failure. Mercaptoethanol plays a key role in it.
Mercaptoethanol has antioxidant properties. When RNA is extracted, there are many oxidizing substances in the environment, which are prone to oxidative damage to RNA, structural damage, and loss of function. Mercaptoethanol, with its active thiol group, can react quickly with oxidizing substances, save it from danger, protect RNA from oxidation.
Furthermore, mercaptoethanol can break protein disulfide bonds. In cells, RNA is often entangled with proteins. Without this entanglement, RNA is difficult to obtain purity. Mercaptoethanol enters the protein, breaks the protein disulfide bond, makes the protein structure easier, and separates from RNA to obtain pure RNA samples. Follow-up experiments such as reverse transcription and quantitative PCR can proceed smoothly.
In addition, mercaptoethanol can inhibit the activity of RNase. RNase, the natural enemy of RNA, exists in the environment and organisms, and it will be like a hungry tiger when encountering RNA, and it will be rapidly degraded. Mercaptoethanol interferes with the structure or activity check point of RNase by a specific mechanism, which greatly reduces its activity, slows down the rate of RNA degradation, and increases the success rate of extraction.
In short, on the road to RNA extraction, thiol ethanol is like a dark night light, antioxidant, antiprotein entanglement, and inhibition of enzyme activity. It has made great contributions to obtaining pure and complete RNA samples, which is of great significance to molecular biology research.
Husband RNA extraction is a matter of molecular biology. The process is complicated, and many factors affect success or failure. Mercaptoethanol plays a key role in it.
Mercaptoethanol has antioxidant properties. When RNA is extracted, there are many oxidizing substances in the environment, which are prone to oxidative damage to RNA, structural damage, and loss of function. Mercaptoethanol, with its active thiol group, can react quickly with oxidizing substances, save it from danger, protect RNA from oxidation.
Furthermore, mercaptoethanol can break protein disulfide bonds. In cells, RNA is often entangled with proteins. Without this entanglement, RNA is difficult to obtain purity. Mercaptoethanol enters the protein, breaks the protein disulfide bond, makes the protein structure easier, and separates from RNA to obtain pure RNA samples. Follow-up experiments such as reverse transcription and quantitative PCR can proceed smoothly.
In addition, mercaptoethanol can inhibit the activity of RNase. RNase, the natural enemy of RNA, exists in the environment and organisms, and it will be like a hungry tiger when encountering RNA, and it will be rapidly degraded. Mercaptoethanol interferes with the structure or activity check point of RNase by a specific mechanism, which greatly reduces its activity, slows down the rate of RNA degradation, and increases the success rate of extraction.
In short, on the road to RNA extraction, thiol ethanol is like a dark night light, antioxidant, antiprotein entanglement, and inhibition of enzyme activity. It has made great contributions to obtaining pure and complete RNA samples, which is of great significance to molecular biology research.

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