High-throughput, cheap, reliable DNA extraction method
Highlighted article: Zhanguo Xin and Junping Chen (2012) A high throughput DNA extraction method with high yield and quality. Plant Methods 2012, 8:26 doi:10.1186/1746-4811-8-26
Judging by the fact that it was accessed 1400 times in less than a month, the DNA extraction method described by Xin and Chen in last month’s Plant Methods must be worth a look.
Having had a look, I can tell you it seems to be an invaluable method for cheap, reliable high-throughput DNA extraction. It works on seeds and leaves from a number of plants, and according to the abstract, one person can manage 192 extractions in a working day. Using the price estimation in the paper, this would cost about £13 in total for consumables.
The protocol is clear and easy to follow, setting out exactly what reagents, consumables and equipment you will need so there will be no panicked begging of microtitr plates from a friend halfway through the extraction. As well as standard lab equipment which should be accessible to most researchers, you will need MagAttract Suspension G. MagAttract provides the simple, efficient clean up step, while the rest of the protocol is based on a traditional CTAB extraction method.
Leave a Reply