title: The assessment of DNA from marine organisms via a modified salting-out protocol.
abstract: We developed a rapid, practical and non-toxic salting-out method for the extraction of DNA from marine organisms, and tested it on two representative species of Porifera and Cnidaria, both living in association with symbiotic zooxanthellae. We tested the efficiency of the protocol by comparing the output of the method for fresh tissue, frozen tissue and tissue stored in ethanol. It proved to be effective for extracting DNA in the case of the methods of preservation considered here, and for obtaining quantities of DNA comparable to those obtained via the traditional approach. The DNA from both species was of good quality. The DNA obtained was amplified by PCR using specific primers for the large ribosomal subunit, allowing the identification of the presence of both the host and symbiont genomes.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Murgia
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Parodi
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valisano
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cerrano
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palmisano
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bavestrello
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000379:methods*; D003063:Cnidaria / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D011161:Porifera / Q000235:genetics*; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D012492:Salts; D004247:DNA