NucleoSpin eDNA Water (REF 740402)

The NucleoSpin eDNA Water kit enables fast purification of environmental DNA (eDNA) from diverse water samples with reliable results and minimal risk of DNA contamination. Protocols for milliliter to liter water samples collected from natural freshwater and marine environments were developed. eDNA is extracted in less than 70 minutes (standard protocol), avoiding long, over-night incubation steps typical of eDNA extraction workflows. NucleoSpin eDNA Water is compatible with a variety of filters and filtration systems. Furthermore, an alternative protocol for direct eDNA precipitation circumventing filtration has been developed. Organisms targeted are for example populations of fish, amphibians, reptiles, crustaceans, mammals, birds, plants and other organisms, that came in contact with the sampled water.

What is environmental DNA (eDNA)?

Any DNA which is released from organisms into the environ ment (air, water, soil) can be considered as environmental DNA (eDNA). For aquatic systems, eDNA can be derived from e.g. cells released into the water (e.g. epithelial cells, spawn) or decaying organisms or tissues. eDNA might be pieces of tissue, cells, organelles (e.g. nuclei, mitochondria), protein bound DNA (e.g. DNA histone complexes) or it might be secondarily adsorbed by mineral substances (e.g. clay, sand) or organic matter (e.g. cell walls, lignins, humic substances). The major amount of eDNA seems to be bound to particles and only a rather minor fraction of eDNA seems to float free without being associated to any other structure within the water. Typically, eDNA is found in particles in the range over 0.2–200 µm. eDNA in aquatic systems is subject to degradation due to physical, chemical and biological processes with observed half lifes of a few to several days, depending on water quality, temperature, UV and other factors.

Purification workflow

*Filtration device and NucleoSpin Filter/ syringe for recovery not included in the kit

The NucleoSpin eDNA Water workflow has been optimized for speed and simplicity without compromising quality of the purified DNA. Samples can be obtained by filtration with round filters - like MACHEREY-NAGELs 45 mm Glass Fiber Filters - or filter cartridges (SterivexTM). Alternatively, eDNA can be precipitated from < 40 mL of unfiltered water. The purification workflow takes less than 70 minutes. Full preparation time depends on the sampling and / or filtration setup.

eDNA isolation by filtration method with NucleoSpin® eDNA Water

The NucleoSpin eDNA Water kit is intended for the isolation of eDNA from milliliter to liter water samples collected from natural freshwater and marine environments. The following workflow video shows exemplary how to process water samples, filtered with Glass Fiber Filters, with our NucleoSpin eDNA Water kit.

Options for sample pre-processing

* Filtration devices and filters not included

** Requires additional buffer PREC

Things to consider for the isolation of eDNA from aquatic ecosystems - tips, tricks, and references

This part of the landing page aims to support all those seeking to isolate eDNA from aquatic ecosystems, e.g. by use of NucleoSpin eDNA Water kit or other methods. It gives tips and tricks to consider and an access to a selected number of references from a fast growing wealth of publications covering technical as well as application aspects of eDNA. A summary of all information in terms of sampling strategies, storage - transport - conservation, purification method, analysis and quantification of eDNA is described in our TechNote, please click here to read more.