Isolation of Genomic DNA from Plant Tissues with VERSA 1100 Gene Workstation using Aurora Biomed's AB96 Magnetic Binding Plant Tissue gDNA Isolation Kit

High quality, pure nucleic acids are essential for downstream applications in plant genomics.  Moreover, plant-derived samples require special treatment prior to nucleic acid extraction, as cell walls and other associated biological molecules may interfere with downstream applications. Manual processes are time consuming and prone to human error, reducing reproducibility. An automated solution must be capable of extracting high molecular weight DNA and must result in the production of high quality, intact nucleic acids. Aurora Biomed’s proprietary AB96 Magnetic Binding Plant Tissue gDNA Isolation Kit in 96-well format was validated using the VERSA 1100 NAP/PCR Workstation (Aurora Biomed). Genomic DNA was isolated from a range of plants. Automated genomic DNA isolation was compared with manual purification protocols in terms of yield, quality and sample cross contamination. Both automated and manual purification processes delivered consistently high purity and molecular weight DNA. Isolated high molecular weight DNA was detected on an agarose gel as a band running close to the 48.5 kb band on a hyper DNA ladder. Repeated isolations rendered fine bands without streaks, indicating that neither automation nor manual processes had sheared the DNA during isolation. Additionally, the automated process was observed to be highly efficient as no DNA was detected in the wash and extra elution steps. The main elution step provided an excellent yield of extracted DNA with Abs_260/280=1.7-1.91. The use of automation for the isolation of plant tissue DNA reduces labour costs and provides consistent DNA recovery yields.