High yield preparation of genomic DNA from Streptomyces

Streptomyces species produce important drugs such as antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and antitumor compounds.The isolation of genomic DNA is imperative for the understanding of the biosynthesis of these compounds and has led to the rational design of new analogs (1−5). Streptomyces are Gram-positive bacteria, making DNA isolation difficult due to their resistance to cell lysis (6,7). Most methods use lysozyme and sodium docecyl sulfate (SDS) for cell disruption. To further increase lysis, glycine is often incorporated into media to minimize peptidoglycan cross-linking; muramidases such as mutanolysin or grinding of mycelia are also commonly used (1,8−10). Compared with DNA isolation methods for Escherichia coli, most methods are time-consuming or low yielding, or give low-quality DNA (1). This report details an improved method for DNA isolation from Streptomyces species using achromopeptidase, lysozyme, and SDS for cell lysis that results in higher yield compared with current standard methods.