Aims: To demonstrate and characterize a portable lysis apparatus for rapid single-step bacterial DNA extraction.
Methods and results: Our portable lysis apparatus employed a novel design consisting of an annular piezo-element with perforated diaphragm. Using Bacillus subtilis as target bacteria, our portable lysis apparatus was able to achieve a normalized percent lysis as high as 66% within 30 s. This is comparable to that by microprobe ultrasonication and almost 7 times higher than that by conventional bead beating. The effect from adding glass beads was predictable. However, the results from the addition of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) were counter-intuitive because a further increase from 0·5 to 1% concentration reduced the lysis performance. The portable lysis apparatus is also at least 1·5-5 times more power efficient than microprobe ultrasonication.
Conclusions: Our portable lysis apparatus is capable of rapidly extracting bacterial DNA and is more power efficient than microprobe ultrasonication. The addition of glass beads or SDS concentration (up to 0·5%) improves its performance.
Significance and impact of the study: The portable lysis apparatus provides a standalone, rapid, low cost and power efficient way of obtaining genomic constituents prior to a variety of bioassays used in the field of environmental, biomedical and other applied microbiology.
Keywords: Bacillus subtilis; bacterial DNA extraction; low cost; portable lysis apparatus; rapid.
© 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.