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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #227683
Title: A safe inexpensive method to isolate high quality plant and fungal DNA in an open laboratory environment

Author
item NIU, CHEN - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item KEBEDE, HIRUT - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item AULD, DICK - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item WOODWARD, JASON - TEXAS AGRILIFE
item Burow, Gloria
item WRIGHT, ROBERT - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: African Journal of Biotechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/2008
Publication Date: 8/18/2008
Citation: Niu, C., Kebede, H., Auld, D., Woodward, J., Burow, G.B., Wright, R. 2008. A safe inexpensive method to isolate high quality plant and fungal DNA in an open laboratory environment. African Journal of Biotechnology. 7(16):2818-2822.

Interpretive Summary: The most commonly used plant DNA isolation methods use health hazardous chemicals (phenol and chloroform), which require special equipment to minimize exposure and may limit their application in some environments. Commercial DNA extraction kits are convenient and usually safe, but their high cost can be limiting, especially when isolating DNA from a large number of samples. Current reports on non phenol/chloroform protocols have not thoroughly examined the quality and suitability of the DNA for studies that require high precision. Here we describe a simple, economical and rapid phenol/chloroform free protocol to obtain high quality DNA from plant and fungal samples. Potassium ions are used to precipitate protein and other cellar molecules in SDS extraction buffer. Purified DNA is achieved using a low salt CTAB treatment. This SDS/CTAB protocol has been used to isolate high quality DNA from both plant and fungi with minimum cost and health concerns.

Technical Abstract: A simple, economical and rapid phenol/chloroform free protocol to obtain high quality DNA from plant and fungal samples is described in this report. Potassium ions are used to precipitate protein and other cellar molecules in SDS extraction buffer. Purified DNA is achieved using a low salt CTAB treatment. This SDS/CTAB protocol has been used to isolate high quality DNA from both plant and fungi with minimum cost and health concerns.