General Guidelines for Handling DNA
Working with DNA: Good laboratory practice
Handling DNA
DNA is a relatively stable molecule, but it is still important to avoid introducing nucleases to your plasmid solutions as these enzymes will degrade DNA. You should also store your DNA samples in TE buffer to avoid acid hydrolysis when stored in water.
Conversions for DNA
Molecular weight conversions for DNA
MW of a double-stranded molecule (sodium salt) = (number of base pairs) x (662 daltons/base pair)
Molecular conversions for DNA
Exemplary molar conversions for (plasmid) DNA can be found in the tables Microgram DNA conversions and Picomole DNA conversions. Protein/DNA conversions can be found in the table Protein/DNA conversions.Microgram DNA conversions
1 µg | pmol | Molecules |
---|---|---|
20 b oligonucleotide | 152 | 9.1 x 1013 |
1000 bp DNA | 1.52 | 9.1 x 1011 |
pUC 19 DNA (2686 bp) | 0.57 | 3.4 x 1011 |
pBR322 DNA (4263 bp) | 0.35 | 2.1 x 1011 |
Lambda DNA (48,502 bp) | 0.03 | 1.8 x 1010 |
Picomole DNA conversions
1 pmol | Micrograms |
---|---|
20 b oligonucleotide | 0.0066 |
1000 bp DNA | 0.66 |
pUC 19 DNA (2686 bp) | 1.77 |
pBR322 DNA (4263 bp) | 2.88 |
Lambda DNA (48,502 bp) | 32.01 |
Protein/DNA conversions
1 pmol | DNA |
---|---|
10,000 Da | 270 bp |
30,000 Da | 810bp |
100,000 Da | 2.7 kb |