Nucleic Acid Purification

DNA and RNA need to be isolated from their respective hosts- eukaryotic cells, bacteria, plasmid, virus and yeast, for downstream applications such as blotting, PCR, cloning and sequencing. Most clinical and research laboratories require some kind of nucleic acid processing for diagnostics. Products such as phenol chloroform can be used for extraction in association with equipment such as vacuum manifolds, or complete kits can be purchased to take the guesswork out of isolation. High throughput labs can take advantage of automated systems to streamline workflow and reduce repetitive stress. Choice of purification system will depend on volume, number of samples, desired turnaround time and state of the nucleic acid- fragment, chromosome, mRNA, supercoiled DNA etc. Purification is usually the first step in a long series of experimentation, quality is the goal. The adage “garbage in, garbage out” applies here, so look for tight quality control, high yield superior reagents, and excellent technical support and service.