Download Proper Tubes and Plate for Sample Submission

Proper Tubes and Plates for Sample Submission
We request samples be submitted in either a 96-well PCR plate or 0.2 mL 8-strip PCR tubes. You could
also cut out an 8-well section or two from a 96-well plate. Please label the strip or plate with the job
request number and for the strips also indicate the sample number. Please do not add tape to the tubes as
means of labelling. A special setup/handling fee applies to samples that are not in 200ul strip tubes, i.e.
any samples that are sent in 200ul individual tubes, 500ul tubes or 1.5ml tubes.
Dried samples are the only samples where the plate or tubes may be covered with tape for shipping. Tape
seals are not adequate to prevent leaking during shipping of tubes or plates with liquid samples.
There are many vendors that sell tubes and plates and the important point is that the strip caps used be from
the same vendor and designed to fit snug on the strip tubes or 96 well plate so that they will not come off
during shipment. One option is ISC BioExpress plates T-3031-21 and caps T-3031-21C. If you opt to send
dry samples, you can dry down samples in the strip tubes or plate: a) in a speedvac, b) in a hood overnight,
or c) in a thermal cycler or heat block at 65C for 15min (5-10uL volume).
We recommend sandwiching a plate between two tip insert racks and securing with tape (as shown in the
picture below) to help to secure the strip caps in place. Be sure that the tips of the tubes are not protruding
through the bottom or they will likely get crushed. Strip tubes with caps can have the caps secured in place
with parafilm. A little parafilm stretched tightly goes a long way and seals much more effectively than a lot of
parafilm that has not been stretched out.
If you are submitting samples for sequencing in a 96 well plate for the “full plate rate” the samples MUST be
a 96-well plate thin-walled, polypropylene, and designed for rapid thermal transfer. They should be nonskirted with a well volume capacity of 300ul (i.e. NO low profile plates). The maximum number of samples in
a 96–well plate is 95, as 1 well must be left for the NGC internal run control.
When filling the plate, please begin loading samples in well 1A and load by column. You should load 1A, 1B,
1C, etc though 1H and then 2A, 2B, etc across the plate. In this way your samples will be in the same order
as your electronic submission on our dnaTools server. Do NOT leave any empty wells between samples.
For ease of entering a job submission of 95 sequencing samples or 96 fragment analysis samples use the
“Upload and Import File” link on the dnaTools server. Once you open that link you will see instructions at the
top of the page. You need to begin by downloading either the Sequencing Template or Fragment Analysis
Template to your PC. Then open and edit the template file in Excel adding the sample names, primer name,
etc. No spaces or illegal characters are allowed; allowable characters include: a - z, A - Z, 0 - 9, and a dash.
Save the edits as a Tab delimited file with a .txt extension on your PC. Finally, upload this file when entering
the job request.
Samples in solution that are to be used for Sanger sequencing (plasmid DNA and PCR amplicons) or tagged
amplicons for fragment analysis do not require refrigeration (blue ice packs or dry ice). Those samples can
be shipped at ambient temperature.
Extracted RNA or genomic DNA sent to for use in PCR, next generation sequencing, or genotyping PCR
services should be packed in a thermal container with blue ice packs and then shipped using an overnight
service.
Contact us if you have any questions about preparing your plate or sample submission and shipping.