| NucleoSpin 8 Soil | NucleoSpin 96 Soil | |
| Technology | Silica-membrane technology | Silica-membrane technology |
| Format | 8-well strip | 96-well plates |
| Processing | Manual or automated, vacuum or centrifugation | Manual or automated, vacuum or centrifugation |
| Starting material | <500 mg soil, sludge, or sediment | <500 mg soil, sludge, or sediment |
| Fragment size | 50 bp–approx. 50 kb | 50 bp–approx. 50 kb |
| Typical yield | 2–10 µg (500 mg soil) | 2–10 µg (500 mg soil) |
| A260/A280 | 1.6–1.8 | 1.6–1.8 |
| Elution volume | 100–200 µl | 100–200 µl |
| Preparation time | 150 min/6 strips | 150 min/plate |
| Binding capacity | 50 µg | 50 µg |
Product overview
High-throughput purification of DNA from soil: NucleoSpin 8/96 Soil
Soil samples contain different amounts of organic matter and inorganic material (humic substances or polysaccharides) and exhibit different pHs, all of which can hinder the consistency of DNA extraction from these sample types. The NucleoSpin 8/96 Soil kits overcome these obstacles through the use of highly optimized lysis conditions and mechanical disruption. Using these kits with 500 mg of soil as a starting material typically yields 2–10 µg of eluted genomic DNA that is ready to use for downstream applications such as PCR, qPCR, restriction analysis, etc.
- Alternative lysis buffers and additional Enhancer SX enable optimization of the protocol to maximize yields from soil samples of different compositions
- MN Bead Tubes Type A (ceramic beads) facilitate more efficient lysis of soil microorganisms and reduce risk of cross-contamination
- NucleoSpin Inhibitor Removal Strips/Plate allow for elimination of all PCR inhibitors, such as humic substances
At-a-glance
Application data
DNA isolation from soil
Figure 1. DNA isolation from Alaskan gelisol. Bacterial genome copy numbers were determined for DNA that was extracted from 250-mg soil samples derived from active (Panel A) and permafrost (Panel B) layers of Alaska gelisol using the NucleoSpin kit in comparison with a competitor kit from Mo Bio. Far more bacterial DNA was extracted with the NucleoSpin kit using the combination of Buffer S1 and Buffer SX than with the competitor kit. (Data provided by customers.)
DNA isolation from peat
Figure 2. DNA isolation from spruce peat. Bacterial genome copy numbers were determined for DNA that was extracted from 250-mg (Panel A) and 500-mg (Panel B) samples of spruce peat using the NucleoSpin kit in comparison with a competitor kit from Mo Bio. Far more bacterial DNA was extracted with the NucleoSpin kit using Buffer S1 (with or without Buffer SX) than with the competitor kit. (Data provided by customers.)
Automated DNA isolation from soil
Figure 3. Automated DNA extraction from soil on the epMotion 5075 VAC. DNA was extracted from 500-mg inputs of soil on the epMotion 5075 liquid-handling system using each possible lysis buffer combination provided with the NucleoSpin 96 Soil kit. For this sample type, the highest yield of high molecular weight DNA was observed for the SL2 + SX Buffer combination (Panels A and B). No PCR inhibition was observed when 2-µl volumes of eluate from each preparation were used as templates (Panel C).
Protocol
Figure 4. Protocol overviews for NucleoSpin 8 Soil and NucleoSpin 96 Soil. NucleoSpin 8 Soil allows for processing of 48 samples (6 strips) in approximately 150 min, whereas NucleoSpin 96 Soil enables processing of 96 samples (1 plate) in the same amount of time. Both kits can be used with vacuum- or centrifuge-based processing and are compatible with manual or automated workflows.
Required hardware
Centrifugation: Centrifuge-based processing of NucleoSpin 8/96 Soil kits requires a microtiter plate centrifuge which is able to accommodate the NucleoSpin Soil Strips/Plate stacked on a round- or square-well block or rack with tube strips. The centrifuge must be able to reach an acceleration of 5,600–6,000g (bucket height: 85 mm). Centrifuge-based processing of 8-well strips requires the reusable Starter Set C, which contains Column Holders C, NucleoSpin Dummy Strips, MN Square-well Blocks, and Tube Strips.
Vacuum processing: The NucleoSpin 8/96 Soil kits also allow for manual processing with the NucleoVac 96 Vacuum Manifold. Additionally, a suitable centrifuge for sample preparation steps may be required. Vacuum processing of 8-well strips and automation on laboratory platforms with standard 96-well plate vacuum chambers require the reusable Starter Set A, which contains Column Holders A and Dummy Strips.
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