DNA Extraction from Strawberry

Strawberries are a good source of DN A because they have 8 copies of each type of chromosome. This condition is called octoploidy. Humans are diploid which means we have two copies of each chromosome. You will break open the cells of a strawberry and then separate the DNA from the remaining cell parts. You will never be able to eat a strawberry again without thinking about how much DNA is in it!

Materials
heavy duty zip lock baggies strawberries (fresh or frozen) DNA extraction buffer (soapy, salty water) filtering apparatus: cheesecloth, funnel and small conical tube Ice cold rubbing alcohol clear test tube or conical tube plastic stick DNA extraction buffer 100 mL Murphy Oil Soap 15 grams NaCl (2 teaspoons) 900 mL water

Procedure
1. Place one strawberry in a self-sealing plastic storage bag. Press the air out and seal the bag. Mash the bagged strawberry with your fist for 2 minutes. This will break open the cells. 2. Add 10mL of DNA extraction buffer (made of shampoo, salt, and water) to the bag. Press the air out carefully and seal the bag. The extraction buffer will dissolve the cell membranes. Mash the bagged strawberry with the DNA extraction buffer for 1 min. 3. Filter the liquid through a cheesecloth-lined funnel and into a conical tube. This will separate the organelles, broken cell walls, and membranes from proteins, carbohydrates and DNA. 4. When the conical tube contains about 5 mL, take the funnel out of the test tube and discard any extra mashed strawberry pulp, the cheesecloth, and the baggie. 5. Slowly drip about 5 mls of cold rubbing alcohol along the side of the test tube. The rubbing alcohol should form a layer on top of the filtered extract. This will help to clump the DNA together. 6. Dip a plastic stick into the tube, right where the alcohol and extract layers are in contact with each other. Twirl the stick into the alcohol layer. The DNA will form fibers, somewhat like cotton candy, that will spool onto the stick (the DNA itself looks like mucous). Keep the tube at eye level so you can see what is happening. Pay attention to the characteristics of the DNA as it rises into the alcohol layer.