Procedure of RNA extraction which does not extract DNA and proteins from nervous tissue cells

Several schemes of acidic extraction of RNA taken from biochemical or cytochemical literature were compared by means of ultraviolet and visible cytospectrophotometry. Basing on the data obtained an extraction scheme has been recommended which consists in the treatment of nervous tissue sections with 16 per cent perchloric acid at 4 degrees C for 48 h. This extraction has been shown to extract completely cellular RNA without extracting DNA and proteins from the nervous tissue cells. Using this scheme, ultraviolet cytospectrophotometry of neurons and glial cells was performed twice, before and after the selective RNA extraction, which enabled a calculation of RNA concentration by the difference of the absorption values. In mice, after 3 h-swimming, and in cats, after 2-week daily injections of adrenaline, a number of quantitative and qualitative RNA changes were found out in nerve and glial cell of mouse spinal cord and cat sympathetic ganglion with the aid of the recommended scheme of RNA extraction.