Methods for extracting bioactive small RNAS from plants and mushrooms

A method for isolating a fraction enriched of small RNA molecules from a fungal and/or plant sample comprising:

• a) adding a lysis buffer to a powder or homogenized sample of fungal and/or plant tissue or cells sample to obtain a lysate;
• or
• a′) incubating fungal and/or plant tissue or cells with a bicarbonate solution at a temperature of 50-100° C., separate liquid from solid phase to obtain a liquid phase;
• and
• b) adding an alcohol solution to the lysate obtained is step a) or to the liquid phase obtained in step a′) to obtain a solution;
• c) loading the obtained solution to a solid support able to selectively bind small RNA molecules;
• and
• d) eluting small RNA molecules from said solid support.