Mouse Diversity Array DNA requirements — frequently asked questions
How, and to what address, should I send DNA samples for my Mouse Diversity Genotyping Array Services project ?
Ship samples on dry ice to the attention of:
Gene Expression Service
c/o Sonya Kamdar
The Jackson Laboratory
Room 3035
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
How much DNA do I need to submit for each sample?
Please submit five (5)micrograms of DNA at the minimum concentration of 50 ng/ul in a reduced concentration Tris-EDTA buffer (maximum of 0.1 mMol EDTA – 10mMol Tris).
What method do you recommend for extracting DNA?
We recommend using a phenol-chloroform extraction protocol, such as the method described in “Molecular Cloning; a laboratory manual. Second edition. Volume 2. Pages 9.16-9.19” or any similar extraction protocol.
Magnetic beads and purification columns methods can be used to isolate genomic DNA as long as the high molecular weight band (>15 Kbps) contains at least 50% of the sample DNA.
A “good” extraction should yield DNA samples such as the ones displayed below:
What is your definition of “High Molecular Weight DNA”?
Genomic DNA that is larger than 15 Kbps.
Do tail tip DNA preparations yield a sufficient quantity of genomic DNA to run on this chip?
Typically, yes.
Can JAX make DNA preps if I send mouse cells or tissue?
No, not at this time. Please submit your samples as DNA only.
My DNA extractions always contain some degraded DNA (DNA smear). How much degradation is too much?
We do not routinely use samples in which the High Molecular Weight DNA band contains less than 50% of the total DNA. Furthermore, there is a loss of performance as the percentage of degraded DNA increases. A sample with only 50% HMW DNA will have a decreased SNP call rate (by at least 2%) when compared to a sample containing 90% HMW DNA.
What options are available if one of my DNA samples doesn’t meet your quality requirements?
The preferred solution would be to re-extract the DNA. You will have the option to cancel the project at that time (see Cancellation Policy in Statement of Work), have us proceed with hybridization, at your risk, or resubmit DNA. Additional processing charges will be assessed if DNA samples need to be resubmitted.
