What factors commonly lead to RNA degradation?

2026-06-23

Answer:
Several factors may increase the risk of RNA degradation:

Improper sample preservation. Examples include:

  • Fresh tissue stored at 4°C for extended periods (>2 hours)
  • Repeated freeze-thaw cycles
  • Long-term storage at −20°C

Tissue-specific pathology. RNA degradation is more common in:

  • Necrotic tumors
  • Calcified tissues
  • Atherosclerotic plaques
  • Post-treatment tumor samples

Improper embedding conditions. RNA stability may be affected by:

  • Excessively high OCT embedding temperatures
  • Failure to perform rapid low-temperature embedding (such as dry ice-assisted embedding)

Incompatible fixation methods. Fixatives such as paraformaldehyde (PFA) and formalin may cause RNA crosslinking and degradation and are therefore incompatible with the current SeekSpace workflow.

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