- the molecular weight of the DNA of interest;
- quantity and purity required to facilitate downstream applications;
- ease or complexity of your chosen method;
- time requirements; and
- budgetary constraints.
Genomic DNA can be separated from all other cellular components by simply following these three basic steps:
Disruption and cell lysis. In extracting your genomic DNA from the sample, you need to break down the cell walls that protect the DNA by using enzymes such as lysozyme and proteinase K or by using physical methods such as manual grinding (mortar and pestle method), freeze-thaw technique, sonication, liquid homogenization and/or mechanical disruption with the use of a Waring blender or a polytron. You can also use bead beating (using 0.1 mm glass beads or 0.15 mm garnet beads) to release your genomic DNA from your cell lysate.
