Stabilizing compositions and methods for extraction of ribonucleic acid

1. A phenol-free method for preserving ribonucleic acid from a biological sample comprising the steps of:

a. obtaining the sample from a subject;

b. contacting the sample with a composition comprising an anionic detergent, wherein the anionic detergent is at a concentration of 1% to 8%, and a buffering agent at a pH of about 5 to about 8.2 to form a mixture;

c. storing the mixture at room temperature; and

d. heating the mixture, wherein the mixture is heated at a temperature of greater than or about equal to 50° C.,

wherein the composition stabilizes the ribonucleic acid at room temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein step d further comprises contacting the mixture with a protease.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the protease is proteinase K.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising heating the mixture, wherein the mixture is heated at a temperature of greater than or equal to about 90° C. before or after heating step d.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anionic detergent is sodium dodecyl sulphate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, lithium dodecyl sulphate or sodium 1-octane sulfonic acid.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anionic detergent is sodium dodecyl sulphate or sodium sarcosinate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent is at a pH of about 5.1 to about 7.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent is sodium cyclohexane diaminetetraacetate (CDTA), N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid (BES), 4-(2-Hydroxyethyl)piperazine-1-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES), acetic acid or acetate (e.g. sodium acetate), citric acid or citrate, malic acid, phthalic acid, succinic acid, histidine, pyrophosphoric acid, maleic acid, cacodylic acid, ββ′-Dimethylglutaric acid, carbonic acid or carbonate, 5(4)-Hydroxymethylimidazole, glycerol 2-phosphoric acid, ethylenediamine, imidazole, arsenic acid, phosphoric acid or phosphate, sodium acetate, 2:4:6-collidine, 5(4)-methylimidazole, N-ethylmorpholine, triethanolamine, diethylbarbituric acid, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris), 3-(N-Morpholino)propanesulfonic acid; 4-morpholinepropanesulfonic acid (MOPS), 2-morpholinoethanesulfonic acid (MES), piperazine-1,4-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) (PIPES), N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid (TES), 4-(2-Hydroxyethyl)piperazine-1-propanesulfonic acid (EPPS), N-(2-acetamido)-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid (ACES), or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent is a phosphate buffer, a carbonate buffer, an ethylenediamine buffer or an imidazole buffer.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent is CDTA or citric acid.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample is a bodily fluid or a bodily tissue from a mammal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the mammal is a human or a cow.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample is from a human; a non-human primate; livestock including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats or domestic birds including chicken, turkey, pheasant, duck or geese; game or wild animals including deer, elk, moose, fish, birds or bears; laboratory or companion animals including non-human primates, rodents including mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils or hamsters; dogs; cats; fish; snakes; lizards; turtles; a horse; plants; plant parts; cell lines; soil microorganisms; sewage microorganisms; or pathogenic microorganisms including virus, bacteria or parasites.

14. The method of 1 , wherein the composition stabilizes the ribonucleic acid at room temperature for one or more of the following time periods:

at least about one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, one week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, five weeks, six weeks, seven weeks or eight weeks, about one day to about eight weeks, or greater than about eight weeks.

15. The method of 14 , wherein the composition stabilizes the ribonucleic acid at room temperature for about one day to about eight weeks at room temperature.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent is at a pH of about 5.5 to about 7.5.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent is at a pH of about 6.5 to about 7.0.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent is at a pH of about 6.8.