A rapid, ethanol-free fish tissue collection method for molecular genetic analyses

Saving valuable time in genetics research has been thoroughly addressed by the biotechnical industry in the form of ever-faster and safer DNA isolation and genotyping systems, such as solvent-free robotic DNA isolation stations, fast polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines, and semi-automated genetic analyzers. As a result, the time bottleneck has shifted to the tissue-processing phase of many projects. We developed and tested a fish tissue collection method that reduces this bottleneck by replacing liquid preservative with chromatography paper, thus providing important time-saving advantages and greater convenience while removing hazardous material constraints from tissue handling. The results show that genomic DNA isolated from caudal-fin tissue samples collected on chromatography paper is similar in mean total yield, gel appearance, and PCR performance to DNA from tissues collected with ethanol in tubes. This collection method also reduces tissue-processing time to a small fraction of the time traditionally required.