A cost-effective protocol for total DNA isolation from animal tissue

Authors

Nicolás Peñafiel, Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada
Diana M. Flores, Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb), Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, Ecuador
Juan Rivero De Aguilar, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Juan M. Guayasamin, Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb), Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, Ecuador
Elisa Bonaccorso

Abstract

Laboratories that perform PCR on a routine basis need to count on reliable DNA isolation methods. In locations where supply of DNA extraction kits depends on importation, having an in-house protocol is desirable. This is also important for laboratories limited by budget constraints. We present a low-cost DNA isolation protocol that incorporates well-known techniques, but that we have adapted to various animal tissues. We tested this protocol on animal blood and muscle, and on cell suspension from skin swabs. The results were comparable, in terms of amount and quality of DNA, to those obtained with two other commercially available methods. DNA retrieved with this protocol has been successfully employed for Sanger sequencing of gene PCR products from animal tissues and blood, as well as for PCR-based diagnosis of chytrid fungus in amphibians and blood parasites in birds.

DOI

10.1080/23766808.2019.1706387

Recommended Citation

Peñafiel, Nicolás; Flores, Diana M.; Rivero De Aguilar, Juan; Guayasamin, Juan M.; and Bonaccorso, Elisa (2019) "A cost-effective protocol for total DNA isolation from animal tissue," Neotropical biodiversity: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 10.
DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2019.1706387
Available at: https://ikiam.researchcommons.org/neotropical-diversity/vol5/iss1/10