DNA extraction form saliva

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DNA extraction form saliva

I tried to extract my DNA as an experiment during the lockdown. I searched on how to extract your own DNA and found some surprisingly easy ways to do it.

I was surprised because I thought that to extract DNA you might need chemicals and lab experiments but it turned out that you can do this experiment by the common things available in your house. You can find the instructions I followed here:

https://www.popsci.com/how-to-extract-your-own-dna/

For this experiment I used the following things: -

  1. Common salt

  2. Ethyl alcohol – 60% (120 proof) or more and it should be at sub-zero temperature.

  3. Pineapple Juice

  4. Two- three shot glasses to collect saliva

  5. Few toothpicks

  6. Dish wash soap

Changes I made

  1. Since ethyl alcohol is not easily available so, I used sanitizer which has 80% alcohol content.

    IMG_20200520_220836-01
    IMG_20200520_220836-011650×3897 1.36 MB

  2. I used protein removal contact lens solution because I didn’t have pineapple juice but the lens solution was available at home.

    IMG_20200520_212538-01
    IMG_20200520_212538-012397×3806 1.74 MB

I preformed this experiment three times. It was not successful for the first two times :roll_eyes:.
It could be because of the two changes I made which were use of sanitizer and contact lens solution. Finally, on the third try I got it properly. :star_struck:

The results is following:

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32475×2947 1.08 MB

4
43000×4000 1.68 MB

5
53000×4000 1.82 MB

Things I need to find out more

  1. Is it really DNA?

  2. What more experiments can be conducted at home to make sure that it is really DNA?

  3. Can we extract the DNA in the same way from other things like fruits and vegetables?

Who else is ready to do this experiment at home and share the result.

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What is present in pineapple juice or contact lens cleaners which helps in removal of protein?

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Pineap­ples con­tain the en­zyme brome­lain, which breaks down pro­tein. Brome­lain is ac­tu­al­ly a mix­ture of two en­zymes and sev­er­al oth­er sub­stances in small­er quan­ti­ties. Its abil­i­ty to break down pro­tein is used in cook­ing, to make meat more ten­der. You can refer to the following link:

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Good question manpreet

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I dont have Ethyl alcohol but I have a sanitizer which contains Isopropyl alcohol (75%).

Will it work?

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I tried extracting my DNA and here are the results :

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20211020_1916101440×2560 204 KB

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I guess the DNA is so less because everything I used was in lesser quantities.
Edit :

Procedure :

  1. Since a shot glass was not available I have used a tea glass for this experiment.
  2. After collecting my saliva in the glass I poured a few drops of soap solution for the process of ‘Lysing’.
  3. I added a tiny splash of pineapple juice for the removal of protein.
  4. I added a pinch of salt. This causes the DNA to start clumping together.
  5. Then I swirled the glass to mix up the ingredients.
  6. Then I gently filled half of glass with High-Proof (60%) alcohol. In this case I used a sanitizer which had 75% Isopropyl Alcohol.
  7. Then I used a toothpick to pick up the strands like structure which was my DNA.

Luckily I was able to extract my DNA in the first try.

Thanks for reading :slight_smile:

7 Likes
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Great effort @Abhinav7996. Kindly elaborate the procedure and materials used. Also share difficulties faced during the experiment.

Edit: thanks for editing and giving further info.

5 Likes