DNeasy Plant Kits

• Pure DNA, free from contaminants and enzyme inhibitors
• Rapid extraction of ready-to-use DNA
• No organic extraction, no ethanol precipitation

The DNeasy Plant Kits provide fast and easy silica-based DNA isolation from plant samples in spin column format. Typical yields are 3–260 μg of high-quality DNA, depending on the samples used (e.g., wheat, maize, Arabidopsis, tomato, tobacco) and binding capacity of the DNeasy silica membrane. The DNeasy Plant Kits also provide silica-based DNA purification in a convenient 96-well plate format with typical yields of 1–15 μg DNA, depending on the plant species. DNA isolation from plant tissue is also automatable on the QIAcube Connect

The DNeasy Plant Kits allow rapid and efficient isolation of high-quality DNA from a wide variety of plant species and tissue types, including the most demanding sources (see table "Selection of plant species processed with DNeasy Kits"). The samples may be fresh, frozen or dried. The optimized DNeasy Plant procedure incorporates the QIAshredder spin column, a unique filtration and homogenization column that efficiently removes cell debris and improves sample handling following lysis. 

Selection of plant species processed with DNeasy Kits

The typical yield is 3–260 μg, with a sample size of up to 1 g wet weight, and an elution volume of 50 μl to 2 ml. DNA yields vary between different species and tissues depending on genome size, ploidy, cell number and tissue sample age.

The DNeasy Plant procedure yields pure nucleic acid, free of polysaccharides and other secondary metabolites often copurified using conventional methods. Such impurities can interfere with spectrophotometric readings and inhibit enzymatic reactions. Absorbance scans of DNeasy purified DNA show a symmetrical peak at 260 nm (see figures " DNA purity from oak leaves and pine needles"), confirming that the DNA is free of impurities, including enzyme inhibitors. DNeasy purified DNA is sized up to 40 kb (see figure " Pure DNA (20–25 kb) for restriction analysis"). The purified DNA can be used in a wide range of applications (see figures " PCR analysis" and " RAPD analysis").

The DNeasy Plant Kits use advanced silica-membrane technology and simple spin procedures to isolate highly pure total cellular DNA from plant tissues and cells or fungi. The DNeasy technology replaces cumbersome DNA isolation procedures such as CTAB, phenol or chloroform extraction. Alcohol precipitation is also not necessary, since the purified DNA is ready for immediate use.

Samples are first mechanically disrupted and then chemically lysed (see flowchart " DNeasy Plant and DNeasy 96 Plant procedures"). RNA is removed by RNAse digestion during lysis. Cell debris, precipitated proteins, and polysaccharides are removed and the sample is homogenized by centrifugation through a QIAshredder spin column. Buffering conditions are adjusted and the lysate is loaded onto the DNeasy Plant Mini spin column. During a brief spin, DNA selectively binds to the silica membrane while contaminants pass through. Remaining contaminants and enzyme inhibitors are removed in one or two efficient wash steps. Pure DNA is then eluted in water or low-salt buffer, ready for use.

DNeasy Plant Kits provide purification of ready-to-use DNA from plant samples, including plant cells, plant tissues and fungi.
The DNeasy Plant Kit is designed for:

• DNA extraction from plants and plant-associated microorganisms
• PCR and NGS analysis
• Marker-assisted breeding
• Plant pathogen research
• Studies on genetically modified plants
• Detection of resistance traits