Development of the Maxwell® 16 Lev Plant DNA Kit, and Its Application to Plant Leaf Tissues

Plant molecular studies have become increasingly complex, requiring high concentration DNA isolated from plant tissue samples. These studies frequently require extraction and purification of microgram-amounts of DNA from plant leaf tissues which employ laborious methods to extract and isolate genomic DNA, such as organic extraction with CTAB (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide).   

Alternatively, DNA can be isolated through binding to the surface of a paramagnetic particle, which has the advantage of being adaptable to automation, as has been done with the Maxwell® 16 instrument, a benchtop instrument designed for this purpose. We have recently developed a DNA purification method from plant lysates built around a novel cellulose-based paramagnetic particle, called the MagnaCel® particle. This method consists of two key features: First, after a brief extraction process using mechanical disruption, the resulting crude lysate is added to a disposable Maxwell® 16 cartridge. This cartridge was designed to allow the Maxwell® 16 instrument to perform this chemistry to isolate microgram amounts of DNA from plant lysates in about 45 minutes. Second, the chemistry was designed to place the resulting DNA into a low elution volume (50 µl). The resulting automated system results in a high concentration DNA isolates from crude tissue lysates. 

We can demonstrate the features of this chemistry, as it applies to problems in automating DNA isolation from plant tissue lysates. While the formal development of this chemistry has centered around extraction of leaf tissue from three species used as research models (Zea mays, Glycine max, and Arabidopsis thaliana), we can demonstrate initial success of application of this chemistry to other species and tissue types.