RNA extraction from sauropsids blood: evaluation and improvement of methods

Advanced, transcriptome-based molecular techniques require the use of RNA of high quality and quantity. RNA extraction from nucleated blood of endangered non-model organisms is still problematic due to insufficient starting material or physico-chemical differences between samples from different organisms. Here we evaluate, validate, and suggest modifications to two protocols used for RNA extraction on animals with nucleated red cells such as birds, crocodilians, and turtles.