What are the best protocols / extraction kits for retrieving DNA out of old insect specimens?
I am on the way to attempt extracting mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from some rather old, dry insect specimens (20-50 years old) which have been kept dry for this time-span. I wonder if current insect or tissue kits will do the job or I have to resort to other protocols.
I have EZNA Tissue DNA kit (Omega Biosystems), Insect DNA Extraction kit (Omega Biosystems) and DNA extraction kit (Quiagen) available but wonder if anyone has an idea or better ones or optimization processes available?
Thanks in advance.
Depends how tough the specimens are. Qiagen works pretty well. You just need to play with the protocol-extend iincubation times a bit if it does not digest the insect in 1 hour. Also, do not use too much of your sample-you may clog the columns. Sometimes taking the t to 65C instead of 55. You just need to try a few runs and compare.
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