A novel density barrier material, Phase Lock Gel, has been formulated and optimized for use in enhancing the separation between aqueous and organic phases during organic extraction/ centrifugation of nucleic acids. Phase Lock Gel is inert, stable to heating, compatible with most enzymatic reactions of nucleic acids without sacrificing subsequent downstream applications, and can be easily and co...

Many procedures in molecular biology require the isolation of high quality genomic DNA. This study investigated a new method to extract DNA from Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria, Mycobacteria and yeasts. Guanidine thioisocyanate present in DNAzol is capable of binding DNA to silica particle column. Subsequently the silica with adsorbed DNA is washed to remove impurities and the clean DNA e...

Genomic tools for watermelon breeding are becoming increasingly available. A high throughput genotyping system would facilitate the use of DNA markers in marker-assisted selection. DNA extraction from leaf material requires prior seed germination and is often time-consuming and cost prohibitive. In an effort to develop a more efficient system, watermelon seeds of several genotypes and various s...

Genomic studies on pathogenic and environmental mycobacteria are of growing interest for understanding of their evolution, distribution, adaptation, and host-pathogen interaction. Since most mycobacteria are slow growers, material from in vitro cultures is usually scarce. The robust mycobacterial cell wall hinders both experimental cell lysis and efficient DNA extraction. Here, we compare eleme...

Methods for the extraction of nucleic acids are straightforward in instances where there is ample nucleic acid mass in the sample and contamination is minimal. However, applications in areas such as metagenomics, life science research, clinical research, and forensics, that are limited by smaller amounts of starting materials or more dilute samples, require sample preparation methods that are m...