A novel technique for isolating DNA from Tempus™ blood RNA tubes after RNA isolation

• Published in: BMC Research Notes
• Main Authors: Jason A. Ferrante, Michelle R. Giles, Emily Benzie, Margaret E. Hunter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2018
• Subjects: Blood; Tempus; RNA; Genomic DNA; Isolation; Preservation; Medicine; R; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Science (General); Q1-390; Alces alces
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-018-3671-4; https://doaj.org/article/430b62901db74bfda4b240caa085c541

Abstract Objective We use Tempus blood RNA tubes (Applied Biosystems) during health assessments of American moose (Alces alces spp.) as a minimally invasive means to obtain RNA. Here we describe a novel protocol to additionally isolate high-quality DNA from the supernatant remaining after the RNA isolation methodology. Metrics used to qualify DNA quality included measuring the concentration, obtaining a DNA integrity number from a genomic DNA ScreenTape assay (Agilent), and running the isolated DNA on an agarose gel. Results Of the 23 samples analyzed, the average DNA concentration was 121 ng/µl (range 4–337 ng/µl) and a genomic DNA ScreenTape assay of seven samples indicated high DNA integrity values for 6 of the 7 samples (range 9.1–9.4 out of 10). Of the DNA sent for genotyping by sequencing, all proved to be of sufficient integrity to yield high-quality next-generation sequence results. We recommend this simple procedure to maximize the yield of both RNA and DNA from blood samples.