Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) DNA Miniprep for Plant DNA Isolation

INTRODUCTION The presence of polysaccharides in a DNA preparation can inhibit use of techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) is a surfactant useful for isolation of DNA from tissues containing high amounts of polysaccharides. Under the high-salt conditions used in this protocol, the CTAB binds the polysaccharides, removing them from the solution. When used with Arabidopsis , this procedure yields quite pure DNA that is suitable for thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (TAIL-PCR).