Acta Anatomica Sinica

AAS ›› 2016, Vol. ›› Issue (3): 309-314.doi: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2016.03.004

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Quality analysis of 100 tissue samples from the postmortem human brain bank

QIU Wen-ying LIU Fan YANG Qian LIU Wei WANG Nai-li ZHANG Di WANG Tao YUAN Bo MA Chao*   

  1. Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Dept. of Human Anatomy Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
  • Received:2015-11-23 Revised:2015-12-23 Online:2016-06-06 Published:2016-06-06
  • Contact: Chao MA E-mail:mcpumc@163.com

Abstract:

Objective To perform quality analysis for the brain tissue samples from the postmortem Human Brain Bank in Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Methods DNA, RNA and protein were extracted from a total of 100 deep-frozen tissue samples stored in the brain bank, followed by absorption photometry, electrophoresis,Western blotting, RT-PCR and Real-time PCR analysis. The samples were grouped according to age, cause of death, post-mortem delay time and duration of storage. Results The concentrations of DNA, RNA and protein and the integrity of DNA and RNA (accessed via A 260/280) were compared among groups. The results indicated that there were no major DNA, RNA and protein degradation in the brain tissue with postmortem delay less than 24 hours, and the concentrations were not affected by age and cause of death. In the samples with post-mortem delay over 24 hours, the concentration of protein and RNA as well as the RNA integrity declined significantly. Protein and DNA integrity were not affected by the time of storage, while RNA concentration decreased when the storage time was over 1 year. Conclusion The postmortem delay should be controlled within 8 hours for RNA analysis, but may be up to 24 hours for protein analysis and even longer for DNA. The human brain tissue can be preserved below -80℃ for as long as 1 year without affecting the sample quality.