Why is a refrigerated centrifuge used for DNA extraction?

Release time:

2014-07-07

Overview:

Although refrigerated centrifuges can cause DNA damage to cells under frozen or low-temperature conditions, thereby affecting the results, freezing conditions are highly effective at precipitating nucleic acids, including DNA. If a room-temperature centrifuge is used instead, the rotor speed would have to be significantly increased to achieve the same amount of precipitation within the same time frame.

In the separation and extraction of DNA, a centrifuge is typically used three times:

The first centrifugation is performed after cell lysis, with the aim of removing solid impurities from the solution.

The second centrifugation is performed after adding a phenol/chloroform/isopentyl alcohol solution to the supernatant from the first centrifugation, with the aim of separating impurities such as DNA and proteins.

The third centrifugation is performed after adding a chloroform/isopentyl alcohol solution to the supernatant from the second centrifugation, with the aim of further purifying the DNA and removing the phenol introduced in the previous step.

Although freezing centrifuges can cause DNA damage to cells under frozen or low-temperature conditions, thereby affecting the results, freezing conditions are highly effective at precipitating nucleic acids and DNA. If a room-temperature centrifuge is used instead, the rotor speed would have to be significantly increased in order to achieve a comparable amount of precipitation within the same time frame. Centrifugation performed at inappropriate temperatures can accelerate DNA degradation or breakage.

Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Medical Devices

Winning Bid Results for Equipment Including High-Speed Refrigerated Centrifuges at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University