DNA Purification

DNA purification is the step in the process of preparation of samples that eliminates enzymes, salts and other contaminants from lysed samples or PCR products prior to further procedures like cloning or sequencing. It also removes unwanted PCR artifacts, such as primer dimers or unincorporated nucleotides. DNA purification is a critical step in molecular biology and requires careful planning to achieve high-quality, reliable results.

There are a variety of approaches to the purification of DNA. Traditional DNA isolation methods require various steps like leukocyte isolation or red blood cell lysis to eliminate heme proteins that inhibit the PCR reaction, deproteinization and the treatment of RNAse. These include ethanol and isopropanol precipitation and finally DNA elimination. The majority of these protocols require the use of special equipment like an electrophoresis system as well as a biosafety cabinet due to the hazardous intercalating dyes that are used in the gel electrophoresis.

Other methods for purifying DNA use spin columns or 96 well filter plates that separate contamination by adsorbing them to the surface of the column or plate. These methods can be time-consuming particularly if you have many samples or if the columns need to be filled manually.

Dipsticks dramatically reduce the number of sample processing steps to only three. They bind nucleic acid with the cellulose-based cellulose wax and release them when water is present. This method is especially beneficial in low-resource settings such as remote field sites or teaching laboratories. Its simplicity (30 s per sample) makes it suitable for diagnostic molecular tests, such as detection of disease and genotype screening.

https://mpsciences.com/2021/04/08/different-types-of-pcr-reagents/