Yeast DNA Extraction

Materials

    Dry yeast

    Adolph's natural meat tenderizer

    Beaker

    Distilled water

    Non-iodized salt

    Glass stirring rod

    Palmolive detergent

    Graduated cylinders (10ml and 100ml)

    Blender

    15 ml test tube

    Ice cold 95% ethanol

    Test tube rack or 250 ml beaker

Solutions

Detergent/salt solution:

    20 ml detergent

    20 g non-iodized salt

    180 ml distilled water

5% meat tenderizer solution:

    5 g tenderizer

    95 ml distilled water

Protocol

    Mix 1 package of dry yeast with 40 ml of 50oC hot tap water to dissolve the yeast in a beaker. Keep mixture covered and warm for about 20 minutes.

    Add 40 ml detergent/salt solution.

    Place mixture in a blender and blend 30 sec-1 minute on high.

    Pour mixture back into the beaker, add 15 ml of meat tenderizer solution, and stir to mix.

    Place 6 ml of mixture into a test tube.

    Pour 6 ml of ice cold ethanol carefully down the side of the tube to form a layer.

    Let the mixture sit undisturbed 2-3 minutes until bubbling stops.

    You will see a precipitate in the alcohol. Swirl a glass stirring rod at the interface of the two layers. The precipitate is DNA.

Modified from: "Isolation of DNA from Onion" Ellen Averill