Plant DNA extraction - DNA extraction (Jul/12/2002 )

Hi, I am a Biochem student.  I am extracting DNA from plants that have been exposed to contaminants, then using restriction enzymes to see if there is any change.  I was wondering if there was a difference between dried sample results and a fresh sample? Thanks

(Edited by estudiantebiochem at 2:10 am on July 12, 2001)

estudiantbiochem,

As long as you handle the plant tissue properly, there should be no difference between your fresh and dried samples.  This means that you should either freeze your tissue at -70C to -80C or lyophilize your tissue immediately after you harvest it.  This will minimize DNase activity in the plant tissue before you extract the DNA.

AronD

Thanks