Method for measuring lipid mediators, proteins, and messenger RNAs from a single tissue specimen.

This article describes a new method for extracting RNA, protein, and lipid mediators from a single tissue specimen. Specifically, mouse bone fracture callus specimens were extracted into a single solution that was processed using three different procedures to measure messenger RNA (mRNA) levels by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR), cytokines and growth factors using an xMAP method, and lipid mediators by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This method has several advantages because it decreases the number of animals necessary for experimentation, allows division of the sample from a homogeneous mixture that reduces sample variability, and uses a solution that protects the integrity of the macromolecules during storage.