1st Edition

Handbook of Nucleic Acid Purification

Edited By Dongyou Liu Copyright 2009
    584 Pages 53 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    584 Pages 53 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    An Indispensable Roadmap for Nucleic Acid Preparation

    Although Friedrich Miescher described the first isolation of nucleic acid in 1869, it was not until 1953 that James Watson and Francis Crick successfully deciphered the structural basis of DNA duplex. Needless to say, in the years since, enormous advances have been made in the study of nucleic acids, and these have become a cornerstone for all branches of modern biological sciences.

    The Handbook of Nucleic Acid Purification provides researchers and students with an all-encompassing volume on nucleic acid extraction strategies. Due to the complexities within prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, purification of the nucleic acids often forms a vital first step in the study of molecular biology of living organisms as well as in the evolutionary/phylogenetic analysis of ancient specimens.

    Bringing together contributions from leading researchers, the handbook presents a comprehensive catalog of nucleic acid isolation methods. It includes dedicated sections on strategies for viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, insects, mammals, and plants, as well as for ancient samples, with an additional emphasis on sample preparation methods for direct molecular applications.

    Each chapter in this handbook:

    • Explores the biological background important to understanding specific organisms and specimens
    • Reviews principles and current techniques for efficient isolation
    • Discusses challenges and future trends relating to improved recovery of nucleic acids

    Besides providing an updated, reliable reference for anyone with an interest in molecular biology, this book offers a practical guide for clinical, forensic, and research scientists involved in molecular analysis of biological specimens. It also constitutes a convenient resource for students in other areas of biological sciences, and an indispensable roadmap for both new and experienced researchers wishing to acquire or sharpen their skills in nucleic acid preparation.

    Nucleic Acids: Structures, Functions, and Applications, Valentin V. Vlassov, Dmitrii V. Pyshnyi, and Pavel E. Vorobjev

    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Viruses
    Isolation of Viral DNA from Cultures, Larry A. Hanson
    Isolation of Viral RNA from Cultures, Ling Zhao and Zhen F. Fu
    Preparation of Viral Samples for Direct Molecular Applications, Grant S. Hansman

    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Bacteria
    Chapter 5 Isolation of Bacterial DNA from Cultures, Dongyou Liu
    Isolation of Bacterial RNA from Cultures, Som Subhra Chatterjee and Trinad Chakraborty
    Isolation of Plasmids, Armelle Bigot and Alain Charbit
    Preparation of Bacterial Samples for Direct Molecular Applications, Knut Rudi, Robert C. Wilson, Kjetill S. Jakobsen, and Dongyou Liu

    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Fungi
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Yeasts, Lakshman P. Samaranayake, Nipuna B. Parahitiyawa, and C. Jayampath Seneviratne
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Filamentous Fungi, Margaret E. Katz and Brian F. Cheetham
    Preparation of Fungal Specimens for Direct Molecular Applications, Françoise Irlinger, Nicolas Berthet, Tatiana Vallaeys, Valérie Vasseur, Renaud Ioos, Marc Buée, and Jérôme Mounier

    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Parasites and Insects
    olation of Nucleic Acids from Protozoa, Vitaliano A. Cama and Lihua Xiao
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Helminthes, Munehiro Okamoto and Akira Ito
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Insects, Kun Yan Zhu
    Preparation of Parasitic Specimens for Direct Molecular Applications, Huw Vaughan Smith and Rosely Angela Bergamin Nichols

    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Mammals
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Body Fluids, Karen Page and Jacqueline Amanda Shaw
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Soft Tissues, Sergey Kovalenko
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Hard Tissues. Judith Weidenhofer and Jennifer A. Byrne
    Isolation of DNA from Ancient Samples, Paula F. Campos, Eske Willerslev, and M. Thomas P. Gilbert
    Preparation of Forensic Samples for Direct Molecular Applications, Erin K. Hanson and Jack Ballantyne

    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Plants
    Isolation of Nucleic Acids from Plants, Song Weining and Dongyou Liu
    Isolation of Megabase-Sized DNA Fragments from Plants, Meiping Zhang, Yaning Li, and Hong-Bin Zhang

    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Miscellaneous Sources
    Purification of Nucleic Acids from Gels, Chunfang Zhang and Theo Papakonstantinou
    Index

    Biography

    Dongyou Liu

    "I was very impressed with the amount of technical detail in the book, having comprehensive descriptions of in-house and commercial methods, together with consideration of the theoretical basis of methods. There is so much more to this book than merely being a laboratory manual. The chapters are very well written, reference lists are comprehensive, and figures and diagrams are good."

    – Vince Mulholland, SASA, in Microbiology Today, May 2009