Home FAQs Why might low yields of plasmid DNA or high levels of contaminating genomic DNA (gDNA) occur when using 5 ml of cell culture for plasmid isolation with the Monarch® Spin Plasmid Miniprep Kit (NEB #T1110), and how can this be improved?

FAQ: Why might low yields of plasmid DNA or high levels of contaminating genomic DNA (gDNA) occur when using 5 ml of cell culture for plasmid isolation with the Monarch® Spin Plasmid Miniprep Kit (NEB #T1110), and how can this be improved?

A lower yield when using 5 ml cell cultures may indicate that too many cells were used in the plasmid isolation. Though we advise that our kit can accommodate up to 5 ml of culture (≤OD 15), there are some cases in which the density of the cells is too high with this volume. Using too many cells can result in incomplete cell lysis, reduced removal of host gDNA, and lower yield. Additionally, the lysis of too many cells will produce excess cell debris and contaminating gDNA that can overwhelm the column and decrease its capacity for binding the plasmid DNA. If the cell culture is harvested after transitioning to the stationary phase, then using less cell culture volume in the isolation may provide better yields. Splitting the 5 ml culture in half and processing it in two columns will likely produce better results. Alternatively, doubling the resuspension, lysis, and neutralization volumes may allow better column performance but will necessitate loading the column twice, each time with half the neutralized sample.