title: Isolation of high quality and  polysaccharide-free DNA from leaves of Dimorphandra mollis  (Leguminosae), a tree from the Brazilian Cerrado.
abstract: Dimorphandra  mollis (Leguminosae), known as faveiro and fava  d'anta, is a tree that is widely distributed throughout the Brazilian  Cerrado (a savanna-like biome). This species is economically valuable and has  been extensively exploited because its fruits contain the flavonoid rutin,  which is used to produce medications for human circulatory diseases. Knowledge  about its genetic diversity is needed to guide decisions about the conservation  and rational use of this species in order to maintain its diversity. DNA  extraction is an essential step for obtaining good results in a molecular  analysis. However, DNA isolation from plants is usually compromised by  excessive contamination by secondary metabolites. DNA extraction of D.  mollis, mainly from mature leaves, results in a highly viscous mass that is  difficult to handle and use in techniques that require pure DNA. We tested four  protocols for plant DNA extraction that can be used to minimize problems such  as contamination by polysaccharides, which is more pronounced in material from  mature leaves. The protocol that produced the best DNA quality initially  utilizes a sorbitol buffer to remove mucilaginous polysaccharides. The  macerated leaf material is washed with this buffer until there is no visible  mucilage in the sample. This protocol is adequate for DNA extraction both from  young and mature leaves, and could be useful not only for D. mollis but  also for other species that have high levels of polysaccharide contamination  during the extraction process.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: H A V
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: L A C
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Brandão
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Lovato
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant