Methods and apparatuses for nucleic acid shearing by sonication
Methods and kits for preparing nucleic acid fragments from a sample of purified nucleic acid are provided. Alternatively, chromatin or other long polymers can be sheared with similar methods and kits.
1. A method for preparing nucleic acid fragments from a sample of purified nucleic acid, the method comprising:
providing a sample of purified nucleic acid;
adding particles to the sample;
sonicating a suspension of the sample and the particles to produce nucleic acids fragments; and
collecting at least a portion of the nucleic acid fragments.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles have a size from about 0.1 micrometers to about 100 micrometers.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles are monodispersed.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles comprise at least one of glass, borosilicate glass, silica, soda lime glass, carbamide, metal, metal oxide, ceramic, and metal-coated ceramic.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the particles are non-magnetic or paramagnetic.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sonicating comprises focusing acoustic sonication.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the suspension is aqueous.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the suspension comprises less than 85% glycerol.
9. The method of claim 1 , sonicating the suspension is less than 5 minutes to provide from about 60 to about 90 base pair fragments.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sequencing the nucleic acid fragments.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising hybridizing the nucleic acid fragments on a microarray.
12. The methods of claims 1 , wherein sonication comprises subjecting the suspension to an ultrasonic field.
13. The methods of claims 1 , wherein the fragment size-range is controlled by particle size, particle chemical composition, percentage of particles in suspension, viscosity of solution, time of treatment, and sonication parameters.
14. A method for preparing nucleic acid fragments from a sample of purified nucleic acid, the method comprising:
providing a sample of purified nucleic acid, wherein the sample does not include cell lysates;
adding particles to the sample;
sonicating a suspension of the sample and the particles to produce nucleic acids fragments; and
collecting at least a portion of the nucleic acid fragments.
15. A method for preparing polymer fragments, the method comprising:
providing a sample of polymer;
adding particles to the sample;
sonicating a suspension of the sample and the particles to produce polymer fragments; and
collecting at least a portion of the polymer fragments.