Stephen, one thing to keep in mind is the addition of formalin to the gel, which helps to prevent degradation. You can find a protocol here:http://plaza.ufl.edu/johnaris/Protocols/Electrophoresis/AgaroseRNAFormaldehyde.pdf

Yes you could see RNA on a agarose gel. Do not use DNA molecular weight, the size do not coresponds. You need to clean the electrophoresis unit with 0.1M NaOH in order to be RNase free. Poly adenylate RNA form a smire.

Yes you can it appear as smear

yes.you can do it.and you will see 2 band including 28s and 18s rRNA

mRNA vissiblity is for sure possible if right extraction procedure is followed

I m pretty newbie in research, i used to extract DNA badly and my bad RNAse never degraded RNA and used to give a smear at bottom when not treated properly. So RNA can be seen on Agarose gel. What u need is just proper extraction procedure and clean electrophoresis unit.

Stephen, one thing to keep in mind is the addition of formalin to the gel, which helps to prevent degradation. You can find a protocol here:http://plaza.ufl.edu/johnaris/Protocols/Electrophoresis/AgaroseRNAFormaldehyde.pdf

Agree with Torsten above, you need to use a denaturing agarose gel, slightly different composition from a regular agarose gel for DNA. It should contain MOPS and formaldehyde/formalin. Running buffer too should be a MOPS buffer and not a regular TAE buffer used for DNA gels. You should be able to find detailed protocols quite easily online.

Another alternative is a microchip electrophoresis system like MultiNA, you will be able to visualise the RNA as well as determine concentration and purity. Check around and see if anyone has a machine. Also very good for small yields as you only need 1-2 ul to run on the chip.

you can for sure visulaize mRNA as smear along with the 28S, 18S bands