Application of superparamagnetic nanoparticles in purification of plasmid DNA from bacterial cells

The aim of this study was to develop a simple and rapid method for purification of ultrapure supercoiled plasmid DNA with high yields from bacterial cultures. Nanosized superparamagnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4) were prepared by chemical precipitation method using Fe2+, Fe3+ salt, and ammonium hydroxide under a nitrogen atmosphere. The surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was modified by coating with the multivalent cationic agent, polyethylenimine (PEI). The nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. The PEI-modified magnetic nanobeads were employed to simplify the purification of plasmid DNA from bacterial cells. We demonstrated a useful plasmid, pRSETB-EGFP, encoding the green fluorescent protein with T7 promoter, was amplified in DE3 strain of Escherichia coli. The loaded nanobeads are recovered by magnetically driven separation and regenerated by exposure to the elution buffer with optimal ionic strength (1.25 M) and pH (9.0). Up to approximately 35 μg of high-purity (A260/A280 ratio = 1.87) plasmid DNA was isolated from 3 ml of overnight bacterial culture. EGFP expression was detected by fluorescent microscopy in the transformed E. coli cells, indicating the biological activities of DNA fragments were retained after purified from magnetic nanobeads. The protocol, starting from the preparation of bacterial lysate and ending with purified plasmids takes less than 10 min. Thus, the separation and purification qualities of PEI-modified magnetic nanobeads as well as its ease of use surpass those of conventional anion-exchange resins.