ABSTRACT
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 191 Nucleic Acid Lysis ......................................................................................................................... 191
Plasmid DNA ...................................................................................................................... 192 Genomic DNA .................................................................................................................... 194 RNA .................................................................................................................................. 194 Large-Scale Lysis ............................................................................................................... 195
Protein Lysis .................................................................................................................................. 195 Mechanical Lysis ................................................................................................................ 195 Chemical Lysis ................................................................................................................... 196 Large-Scale Lysis ............................................................................................................... 196
Bacterial Ghosts ............................................................................................................................. 196 LPS Lysis ....................................................................................................................................... 197 Archaebacteria ............................................................................................................................... 197 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 197 References ...................................................................................................................................... 198
While bacterial cell lysis is a relatively straightforward process, there are signicant variations in its practice. The type of lysis often depends on what subcellular component is to be puried, such as the isolation of DNA vs. protein, the scale of the project, miniprep vs. industrial-scale, and the type of microbe, Gram-negative vs. Gram-positive. In general, microbial lysis methods can be broken down into three categories based on the relative harshness/intensity of the method; Gentle, Moderate, or Vigorous (see Table 14.1. for examples of each).1 Many of these methods give comparable results and only personal preference plays a role in selection. Others are better suited to specic tasks and should be looked on with preference.
