( Dr. Karl-Heinz Esser mul...)New Insights Into DNA Decontamination

Dr. Karl-Heinz Esser, multiBIND biotec GmbH,
Dr. Wolfram H. Marx, AppliChem GmbH and
Prof. Dr. Thomas Lisowsky, multiBIND biotec GmbH

Advanced experiments in gene technology demonstrate that even small amounts of free DNA molecules are sufficient to cause infections, recombinations or biological transformations [1,2]. Additionally, the complete decontamination of equipment and surfaces from any DNA molecules is important for biological containment, safety and prevention of artifacts in PCR amplification experiments. Using new methods available to detect extremely low levels of DNA molecules, we investigated the molecular mechanism of action of various commercially available DNA decontamination reagents. When tests were performed under extreme conditions, i.e. high concentrations of DNA and short incubations times, two major problems were apparent: First, none of the conventional reagents destroyed DNA molecules efficiently and second, all reagents contained components with corrosive or even toxic properties. Consequently, we saw the need to develop new solutions for effective DNA decontamination. Now, we present the latest developments and assays comparing the new AppliChem DNA decontamination reagent, DNA-ExitusPlus, with other conventional products. DNA-ExitusPlus guarantees fast and efficient destruction of nucleic acids without corrosive or toxic properties.

DNA decontamination reagents use three different molecular principles for destruction or inactivation of genetic material: modification, denaturation and degradation. Depending on the composition of the reagents, the different mechanisms may be combined. Safe DNA decontamination depends on the degradation of DNA into very small fragments. We developed a DNA degradation test to compare conventional deconta
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