Why Is It Easy To Extract Dna From Strawberries

Ripe strawberries are an excellent source for extracting DNA because they are easy to pulverize and contain enzymes called pectinases and cellulases that help to break down cell walls. And most important, strawberries have eight copies of each chromosome (they are octoploid), so there is a lot of DNA to isolate.

Why is it easier to extract strawberry DNA than human DNA?

Each little piece of a living thing, known as a cell, has DNA in it. In humans each of these cells have 2 copies of the DNA, but in strawberries each of these have 8 copies of the DNA (scientists call this octoploid). That means strawberries have 4 times as many copies of DNA as humans, making it 4 times easier to see!

Why do strawberries have more DNA than humans?

Uncovering the origins of the cultivated strawberry Until now, little has been known about the evolutionary origins of the cultivated garden strawberry. Whereas most species, including humans, are diploid with two copies of the genome – one copy from each parent – strawberry is an octoploid, with eight complete copies of the genome that were contributed by multiple, distinct parental species.

• In a new study published in Nature Genetics, researchers now unveil how the strawberry became an octoploid, as well as the genetics that determine important fruit quality traits.
• What researchers uncovered is a complex evolutionary history that started long ago on opposite sides of the world.
• For the first time, analysis of the genome enabled us to identify all four extant relatives of the diploid species that sequentially hybridized to create the octoploid strawberry,” said Patrick Edger, MSU assistant professor of horticulture and co-author on the paper.

“It’s a rich history that spans the globe, ultimately culminating in the fruit so many enjoy today.” These four diploid species are native to Europe, Asia and North America, but the wild octoploids are almost exclusively distributed across the Americas.

1. The results presented in the paper suggest a series of intermediate polyploids, tetraploid and hexaploid that formed in Asia, prior to the octoploid event that occurred in North America, involving the hexaploid and a diploid species endemic to Canada and the United States.
2. This makes the strawberry relatively unique as one of only three high-value fruit crops native to the continent.

Breeders began propagating these octoploids around 300 years ago. Since then, they have been used around the world to further enhance variety development. However, Edger hypothesized that — as with several other polyploids — an unbalanced expression of traits contributed by each diploid parental species, called subgenome dominance, would likely also be present in the octoploid strawberry.

He was right. “We uncovered that one of the parental species in the octoploid is largely controlling fruit quality and disease resistance traits,” Edger said. “Knowing this, as well having identified the genes controlling various target traits, will be helpful in guiding and accelerating future breeding efforts in this important fruit crop.” The genomic discoveries provided by this study will advance the trait selection process, bringing about a more precise method of breeding for this important worldwide crop.

The genome will enable studies that were previously unthinkable in strawberry, and will be a catalyst for tackling difficult breeding and genetics questions. “Without the genome we were flying blind,” said Steven Knapp, UC-Davis plant scientist and study co-author.

1. I remember the first time I saw a visualization of the assembled genome, which went from a complex jumble of DNA molecules of 170 billion nucleotides to an organized and ordered string of 830 million base pairs.
2. That was a special moment that changed everything for us in strawberry.” Knapp said that, historically, scientists studying complex biological phenomena in strawberry have tended to focus on diploid relatives because of the complexity of the octoploid, even though genetic analyses in the octoploid are actually straightforward once one has a good road map.

“We have been on a crusade to shift the focus in the basic research community to the commercially important octoploid,” Knapp said. “The wild octoploid ancestors, together with cultivated strawberry, provide a wellspring of natural genetic diversity to support biological and agricultural research.” Traditional breeding has been highly successful in strawberry, yielding outstanding modern cultivars that have been the catalyst for expanding production worldwide.

As with other crops, many challenges remain that will require breeders to continually redesign cultivars and introduce genes from wild species and other exotic sources to meet new challenges. The genome is an essential vehicle for applying predictive, genome-informed approaches in strawberry breeding and cultivar development.

For the U.S., improved varieties could provide a boon to an already-thriving business. The U.S. is the global leader in strawberry production, a yield comprising roughly one-third of the world’s total. In 2016, the country produced more than 1.5 million tons.

The sequencing and analysis of the cultivated strawberry genome, exposing a wealth of new information about its origin and traits, is the product of an international team supported by MSU AgBioResearch, UC Davis, the United States Department of Agriculture, the California Strawberry Commission and the National Science Foundation.

(Note for media: Please include a link to the original paper in online coverage: ) : Uncovering the origins of the cultivated strawberry

Why is it difficult to extract DNA from plants?

Background – DNA extraction from plant tissues, unlike DNA isolation from mammalian tissues, remains difficult due to the presence of a rigid cell wall surrounding the plant cells. Currently used methods inevitably require a laborious mechanical grinding step, necessary to disrupt the cell wall for the release of DNA.

The field of plant molecular biology is therefore at a disadvantage, especially when an automated high-throughput system for the isolation of PCR-ready genomic DNA is required in population genetics, species identification, biodiversity investigation, selection screening, food control and plant biotechnology.

QIAGEN GmbH has developed a 96-well grinding method (MagAttract 96 Plant kit), but it requires a special mixer mill, a centrifugation step and consequently is not fully automatable. Large scale automatable DNA mini-prep facilities were recently offered by several companies for animal tissues (e.g.

DYNAL ASA, Oslo, Norway; AGOWA, Berlin, Germany; QIAGEN GmbH, Hilden, Germany; BILATEC AG, Mannheim, Germany; ROCHE Diagnostics, Rotkreuz, Switzerland; PROMEGA Corporation, Madison, WI, USA; SCIL Diagnostic GmbH, Martinsried, Germany). However, because of their cell wall, the automation of the isolation of DNA from plants needs improvements.

Whereas animal tissues need only a lysis buffer containing detergents and proteinase K to release their DNA, plant tissues need in addition a mixture of carbohydrase enzymes able to digest the cell wall. Enzymatic digestion of the cell wall of leaf tissues is routinely used for the production of protoplasts but this approach was never adapted for routine isolation of DNA from plant tissue.

How much DNA do strawberries have compared to humans?

You may be surprised to learn that 60 percent of the DNA present in strawberries is also present in humans.

Why is it easy to extract DNA from bananas?

Explain that crushing the bananas separates its cells and exposes them to the soap and salt. The soap helps break down cell membranes and release DNA. The salt helps bring the DNA together, and the cold alcohol helps the DNA precipitate and come out of solution so it can be collected.2.

Why are strawberries genetically modified?

With a growing population and a high demand for delicious and diverse foods farmers have to maintain genetic diversity while still producing a healthy and sustainable crop. Hybridized crops have many benefits including resistance to disease and insect pressure.

How does the strawberry DNA experiment work?

Squishy Science: Extract DNA from Smashed Strawberries A genetically geared activity from Science Buddies Advertisement Key concepts DNA Genome Genes Extraction Laboratory techniques Introduction Have you ever wondered how scientists extract DNA from an organism? All living organisms have DNA, which is short for deoxyribonucleic acid; it is basically the blueprint for everything that happens inside an organism’s cells.

1. Overall, DNA tells an organism how to develop and function, and is so important that this complex compound is found in virtually every one of its cells.
2. In this activity you’ll make your own DNA extraction kit from household chemicals and use it to separate DNA from strawberries.
3. Background Whether you’re a human, rat, tomato or bacterium, each of your cells will have DNA inside of it (with some rare exceptions, such as mature red blood cells in humans).

Each cell has an entire copy of the same set of instructions, and this set is called the genome. Scientists study DNA for many reasons: They can figure out how the instructions stored in DNA help your body to function properly. They can use DNA to make new medicines or genetically modify crops to be resistant to insects.

They can solve who is a suspect of a crime, and can even use ancient DNA to reconstruct evolutionary histories! To get the DNA from a cell, scientists typically rely on one of many DNA extraction kits available from biotechnology companies. During a DNA extraction, a detergent will cause the cell to pop open, or lyse, so that the DNA is released into solution.

Then alcohol added to the solution causes the DNA to precipitate out. In this activity, strawberries will be used because each strawberry cell has eight copies of the genome, giving them a lot of DNA per cell. (Most organisms only have one genome copy per cell.) Materials

Rubbing alcohol Measuring cup Measuring spoons Salt Water Dishwashing liquid (for hand-washing dishes) Glass or small bowl Cheesecloth Funnel Tall drinking glass Three strawberries Resealable plastic sandwich bag Small glass jar (such as a spice or baby food jar) Bamboo skewer, available at most grocery stores. (If you use a baby food or short spice jar, you could substitute a toothpick for the skewer.)

Preparation

Chill the rubbing alcohol in the freezer. (You’ll need it later.) Mix one half teaspoon of salt, one third cup of water and one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in a glass or small bowl. Set the mixture aside. This is your extraction liquid. Why do you think there is detergent in the extraction liquid? Completely line the funnel with cheesecloth. Insert the funnel tube into the tall drinking glass (not the glass with the extraction liquid in it). Remove and discard the green tops from the strawberries.

Procedure

Put the strawberries into a resealable plastic sandwich bag and push out all of the extra air. Seal the bag tightly. With your fingers, squeeze and smash the strawberries for two minutes. How do the smashed strawberries look? Add three tablespoons of the extraction liquid you prepared to the strawberries in the bag. Push out all of the extra air and reseal the bag. How do you think the detergent and salt will affect the strawberry cells? Squeeze the strawberry mixture with your fingers for one minute. How do the smashed strawberries look now? Pour the strawberry mixture from the bag into the funnel. Let it drip through the cheesecloth and into the tall glass until there is very little liquid left in the funnel (only wet pulp remains). How does the filtered strawberry liquid look? Pour the filtered strawberry liquid from the tall glass into the small glass jar so that the jar is one quarter full. Measure out one half cup of cold rubbing alcohol. Tilt the jar and very slowly pour the alcohol down its side. Pour until the alcohol has formed approximately a one-inch-deep layer on top of the strawberry liquid. You may not need all of the one half cup of alcohol to form the one-inch layer. Do not let the strawberry liquid and alcohol mix. Study the mixture inside of the jar. The strawberry DNA will appear as gooey clear/white stringy stuff. Do you see anything in the jar that might be strawberry DNA? If so, where in the jar is it? Dip the bamboo skewer into the jar where the strawberry liquid and alcohol layers meet and then pull up the skewer. Did you see anything stick to the skewer that might be DNA? Can you spool any DNA onto the skewer? Extra: You can try using this DNA extraction activity on lots of other things. Grab some oatmeal or kiwis from the kitchen and try it again! Which foods give you the most DNA? Extra: If you have access to a milligram scale (called a balance), you can measure how much DNA you get (called a yield). Just weigh your clean bamboo skewer and then weigh the skewer again after you have used it to fish out as much DNA as you could from your strawberry DNA extraction. Subtract the initial weight of the skewer from its weight with the DNA to get your final yield of DNA. What was the weight of your DNA yield? Extra: Try to tweak different variables in this activity to see how you could change your strawberry DNA yield. For example, you could try starting with different amounts of strawberries, using different detergents or different DNA sources (such as oatmeal or kiwis). Which conditions give you the best DNA yield?

Observations and results Were you able to see DNA in the small jar when you added the cold rubbing alcohol? Was the DNA mostly in the layer with the alcohol and between the layers of alcohol and strawberry liquid? When you added the salt and detergent mixture to the smashed strawberries, the detergent helped lyse (pop open) the strawberry cells, releasing the DNA into solution, whereas the salt helped create an environment where the different DNA strands could gather and clump, making it easier for you to see them.

(When you added the salt and detergent mixture, you probably mostly just saw more bubbles form in the bag because of the detergent.) After you added the cold rubbing alcohol to the filtered strawberry liquid, the alcohol should have precipitated the DNA out of the liquid while the rest of the liquid remained in solution.

You should have seen the white/clear gooey DNA strands in the alcohol layer as well as between the two layers. A single strand of DNA is extremely tiny, too tiny to see with the naked eye, but because the DNA clumped in this activity you were able to see just how much of it three strawberries have when all of their octoploid cells are combined! (“Octoploid” means they have eight genomes.) More to explore from the Tech Museum of Innovation, Stanford School of Medicine, from the Tech Museum of Innovation, Stanford School of Medicine from Learn Genetics, the University of Utah, from Science Buddies This activity brought to you in partnership with Discover world-changing science. : Squishy Science: Extract DNA from Smashed Strawberries

Why is it easier to extract DNA from animal cells than plant cells?

The challenges of plant DNA extraction, why it is important, and how to do it successfully  – The concept of extracting DNA from animals is not a foreign one. When it comes to DNA extraction, most people tend to think of blood or tissue samples. Some typical tissue samples from animals and humans include skin, hair, nails, organs, muscle, bone, and more.

• But what about plants? Plants are made up of dermal, vascular, and ground tissues.
• Primary dermal tissues, called the epidermis, make up the outer layer of all plant organs (e.g., stems, roots, leaves, flowers).
• Since both plants and animals have tissues, how does DNA extraction from plants compare to animal samples? Is it more difficult to extract DNA from plants?   Unlike animal cells, which are enveloped in a soft phospholipid bilayer membrane, plant cells have an additional outer cell wall made of cellulose that provides rigidity to their cells.

DNA extraction from plant tissues, such as leaves, requires the breakdown of the rigid cell wall either by chemical, enzymatic, mechanical means, or some combination of these three methods. Plant DNA extraction requires homogenization to remove cell walls and a soapy substance to degrade membrane lipids. Some plant cells’ metabolites may contaminate DNA during precipitation and interfere with DNA extraction. Comparatively, animal cells have no cell wall to break down; thus, DNA is easier to extract from animal cells.    A glimpse into DNA extraction from plant tissue  Plant leaves of fifteen to twenty days old are optimal for the extraction of DNA from plant tissues.

Mechanical

The cell walls are made up of a rigid extracellular matrix which lends itself well to the unique features of a plant’s lifestyle. They can be ruptured mechanically by pestle and mortar, bead beating, sonication, homogenization, exposure to freeze-thaw cycles, or high temperatures (microwave, autoclave).

Enzymatic

The use of enzymes or chemicals to disrupt cell wall components is known as the non-mechanical method. Often these methods are used in conjunction with mechanical force to ensure complete breakdown of the plant cell wall. There are various naturally occurring enzymes such as cellulases, chitinases, lysozymes, and more.

Chemical   

The chemical composition of the cell wall is composed of: polysaccharides, cellulose, and pectin. Other polymers such as lignin, suberin, or cutin are often anchored to or embedded in plant cell walls. Targeting these polymers with the appropriate chemical substance can dissolve them. Some methods use hazardous chemicals like ether, chloroform, and alcohol.

• Alternately, there are safer, non-organic solvents such as Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) buffer.
• Leaf tissue generally contains polysaccharides, polyphenols, and tannins in high amounts, which can contaminate DNA and affect downstream analyses like polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
• There is a need to remove these metabolites after the entire process (disrupting the cell wall, plasma membrane, nuclear membrane, and precipitating DNA) by several chemical and enzymatic methods.      Why is it important to isolate plant DNA?    Many industries are using isolated plant DNA to modify plants.

Researchers can engineer a plant with seeds inheriting modified genes by isolating DNA from organisms with desirable traits, such as resistance to pesticides, and injecting them into the target plant’s genome. GMO testing laboratories are now utilizing GMO testing to quantify the presence of various traits such as the Roundup Ready®, LibertyLink®, or DMO Dicamba-resistant traits.

Plant pathologists can study the genetic causes of plant disease by analyzing their DNA. Agriculturalists may use extracted DNA to find if the plant has any mutations in its genes, making it better or worse suited to grow in certain conditions.     Researchers can use plant DNA extraction kits to obtain isolated plant DNA for these various applications.

Omega Bio-tek’s line of E.Z.N.A.® or Mag-Bind® Plant DNA 96 Kits can process challenging samples rich in polysaccharides, polyphenolic compounds, and enzyme inhibitors to isolate high-quality DNA that does not hamper downstream applications. These kits extract high-yield and high-quality DNA that uses CTAB ionic detergent with a particular binding system and eradicates chloroform extractions.

How to extract DNA easily?

Step 3. Precipitating the DNA with an alcohol – Finally, ice-cold alcohol (either ethanol or isopropanol ) is carefully added to the DNA sample. DNA is soluble in water but insoluble in the presence of salt and alcohol. By gently stirring the alcohol layer with a sterile pipette, a precipitate becomes visible and can be spooled out.

What are some challenges in extracting DNA from samples?

DNA extraction from these samples along with its amplification is a challenging task because DNA is often highly cross-linked, degraded, and fragmented. Obvi- ously like the quantity, the degree of fragmentation also varies according to the preservation method and the storage time.

Is human DNA extraction the same as strawberry DNA extraction?

Digication ePortfolio :: Remy Patrick Lavilla :: Strawberry DNA Extraction

Remy Patrick LavillaSCB 101: General BiologyProf. Thomas OnoratoLab Report II: Strawberry DNA Extraction Analysis

1. What did the DNA look like? White clumpy goo came out of the strawberries and floated on top.2. In order to study our genes, scientists must extract the DNA from human tissue. Would you expect the method of DNA extraction we used for the strawberry to be the same for human DNA? Explain? No, since DNA is quite fragile and the methods used in this experiment tend to break it apart.

Scientists, therefore use special chemicals and procedures to protect DNA. For example, they add chemicals to control the acidity of the solution. Scientists use other chemicals to cut DNA apart very precisely to look at one part at a time. This process can take several days to several weeks 3. Is the DNA in any cell in the human body the same? Explain your answer.

Yes, in a multicellular organism (such as a human or a strawberry), all cells contain the same DNA. However, multicellular organisms have many different types of cells. For example, humans have liver cells, muscle cells, skin cells, brain cells, and the list goes on.

It is not the DNA that makes each cell different but rather the way it is regulated by the cell. The combinations of genes that are turned on and off are what determine the shape of the specific cell along with its specific function.4. If you wanted to extract DNA from a living person, which cells would you use and why? Epithelial cells will work if you need only a small amount of DNA.

However, blood is the easiest tissue to obtain from a living person. Although a red blood cell does not contain a nucleus, a white blood cell does.5. Please list two reasons why a scientist might want to study the DNA of strawberries.a. Since everyone has different DNA, it can be used to identify him or her,

Forensic scientists, for instance, can identify criminals from DNA samples left at crime scenes. In the same way, biochemists can perform paternity tests or identify people from their remains after accidents.b. Some diseases are linked to differences in people’s DNA, so studying DNA can help scientists find cures and create vaccines,

Lab Activity 1. What is the function of DNA? The DNA is in charge of physical attributes like height, hair color, and eye color. Things like interests, hobbies, and weight can be influenced by DNA but are also affected by how people grow up. Many scientists are still researching exactly which characteristics of people DNA determines and how the environment plays a role on these characteristics.2.

1. Where is DNA located? A copy of the DNA is kept in each cell in a living organism.
2. Protective barriers in the cell such as cell walls and membranes help organize and keep the DNA safe.3.
3. What are the three basic steps for DNA extraction? a.
4. Cell lysis – bursting opening the cell OR bacterium to liberate cell contents into the bulk of the medium b.

Precipitating proteins – this process separates nucleic acids from proteins, which is one of the two major contaminants in DNA extraction (the other major contaminant being RNA) c. DNA purification – Typically, high salt buffers and organic chemicals are used during step 2 and therefore, they must be removed and the DNA must be placed in a suitable buffer that will maintain its integrity.

This is the function of step 3.4. How do these steps differ for extraction of DNA from bacteria? Unlike the strawberry, which has plant cells, in bacteria there is no nuclear membrane to dissolve.5. What is the purpose of the salt solution in this experiment? Salt stabilizes the negatively charged phosphate groups and allows the DNA strands to clump together.6.

Why was detergent added to the extraction buffer? The membranes in a cell have two layers of lipid, or fat, molecules with proteins going through them. Since the lipids are hydrophobic, when detergent comes close to the cell, it captures the lipids and proteins.7.

1. Why does the DNA rise to the top after addition of the alcohol? Alcohol is less dense than water, so it floats on top.
2. Because two separate layers are formed, the grease and the protein that we broke up in the first two steps, and the DNA, all have to decide.
3. In this case, the protein and grease parts find the bottom, watery layer to be the most comfortable place, while the DNA prefers the top, alcohol layer.

Where the two layers meet is called an interface. : Digication ePortfolio :: Remy Patrick Lavilla :: Strawberry DNA Extraction

Is it easier to extract DNA from plant or animal cells?

The challenges of plant DNA extraction, why it is important, and how to do it successfully  – The concept of extracting DNA from animals is not a foreign one. When it comes to DNA extraction, most people tend to think of blood or tissue samples. Some typical tissue samples from animals and humans include skin, hair, nails, organs, muscle, bone, and more.

But what about plants? Plants are made up of dermal, vascular, and ground tissues. Primary dermal tissues, called the epidermis, make up the outer layer of all plant organs (e.g., stems, roots, leaves, flowers). Since both plants and animals have tissues, how does DNA extraction from plants compare to animal samples? Is it more difficult to extract DNA from plants?   Unlike animal cells, which are enveloped in a soft phospholipid bilayer membrane, plant cells have an additional outer cell wall made of cellulose that provides rigidity to their cells.

DNA extraction from plant tissues, such as leaves, requires the breakdown of the rigid cell wall either by chemical, enzymatic, mechanical means, or some combination of these three methods. Plant DNA extraction requires homogenization to remove cell walls and a soapy substance to degrade membrane lipids. Some plant cells’ metabolites may contaminate DNA during precipitation and interfere with DNA extraction. Comparatively, animal cells have no cell wall to break down; thus, DNA is easier to extract from animal cells.    A glimpse into DNA extraction from plant tissue  Plant leaves of fifteen to twenty days old are optimal for the extraction of DNA from plant tissues.

Mechanical

The cell walls are made up of a rigid extracellular matrix which lends itself well to the unique features of a plant’s lifestyle. They can be ruptured mechanically by pestle and mortar, bead beating, sonication, homogenization, exposure to freeze-thaw cycles, or high temperatures (microwave, autoclave).

Enzymatic

The use of enzymes or chemicals to disrupt cell wall components is known as the non-mechanical method. Often these methods are used in conjunction with mechanical force to ensure complete breakdown of the plant cell wall. There are various naturally occurring enzymes such as cellulases, chitinases, lysozymes, and more.

Chemical   

The chemical composition of the cell wall is composed of: polysaccharides, cellulose, and pectin. Other polymers such as lignin, suberin, or cutin are often anchored to or embedded in plant cell walls. Targeting these polymers with the appropriate chemical substance can dissolve them. Some methods use hazardous chemicals like ether, chloroform, and alcohol.

• Alternately, there are safer, non-organic solvents such as Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) buffer.
• Leaf tissue generally contains polysaccharides, polyphenols, and tannins in high amounts, which can contaminate DNA and affect downstream analyses like polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
• There is a need to remove these metabolites after the entire process (disrupting the cell wall, plasma membrane, nuclear membrane, and precipitating DNA) by several chemical and enzymatic methods.      Why is it important to isolate plant DNA?    Many industries are using isolated plant DNA to modify plants.

Researchers can engineer a plant with seeds inheriting modified genes by isolating DNA from organisms with desirable traits, such as resistance to pesticides, and injecting them into the target plant’s genome. GMO testing laboratories are now utilizing GMO testing to quantify the presence of various traits such as the Roundup Ready®, LibertyLink®, or DMO Dicamba-resistant traits.

1. Plant pathologists can study the genetic causes of plant disease by analyzing their DNA.
2. Agriculturalists may use extracted DNA to find if the plant has any mutations in its genes, making it better or worse suited to grow in certain conditions.     Researchers can use plant DNA extraction kits to obtain isolated plant DNA for these various applications.

Omega Bio-tek’s line of E.Z.N.A.® or Mag-Bind® Plant DNA 96 Kits can process challenging samples rich in polysaccharides, polyphenolic compounds, and enzyme inhibitors to isolate high-quality DNA that does not hamper downstream applications. These kits extract high-yield and high-quality DNA that uses CTAB ionic detergent with a particular binding system and eradicates chloroform extractions.

Is it easier to extract DNA from under ripe ripe or overripe strawberries?

A5. Hypothesis: – I predict that the ripe strawberries will produce more extractable DNA than both the under-ripe strawberries and the overripe strawberries. This prediction is based on observation. The under-ripe strawberry is still underdeveloped and very firm, meaning that it will likely produce less juice when mashed up – less juice, less DNA.

How to increase the amount of DNA extracted from a strawberry?

The Baked strawberries had the least amount of DNA. Boiling and Freezing the strawberries may have improved the yield of DNA in solution by helping break down the cell membrane allowing more DNA into solution.