Protocol for the homogenization of tissues by grinding on liquid nitrogen to maintain nucleic acid integrity and produce a homogenous tissue distribution for each downstream assay. Yields tissue powder that is stored at -80°C for downstream analyses.

Procedure

• Wash mortar, pestle, spatula, and funnel and rinse with RNAse zap, rinse with DEPC treated water
• Chill mortar, pestle, and spatula by adding liquid nitrogen
• Remove any extra liquid from sample and add sample to liquid nitrogen in mortar
• Crush and grind sample until powder is formed
• Add additional liquid nitrogen as necessary to ensure sample remains frozen.
• Chill funnel in liquid nitrogen
• Add homogenate powder to microfuge tubes
• Store tubes at -80°C until ready for downstream processing