1) CHAPTER 7(a) Recent experiments have shown that the Percoll gradient step is not necessary to get nuclear preparations of sufficient quality. Thus this step has been deleted. (b) EGTA and L-lysine have been made standard components of MEB and MPDB solutions. These compounds greatly reduce DNA damage caused by endogenous nucleases. 2) CHAPTERS 7, 9, and 10 -PVP is no longer added to the lysis buffer or wash buffers (WB-A, WB-B, and WB-C). PVP often precipitates out of solution to form a brown gel in which the agarose/nuclei plugs may get stuck. Lysis buffer is now made 6 mM EGTA and 200 mM L-lysine. 3) CHAPTER 13 -We no longer recommend the use of GELase to isolate BAC insert DNA from plugs. Our experience suggests that the DNA may be damaged by GELase. Electroelution has proven the most effective means of obtaining clonable DNA from agarose plugs. 4) CHAPTER 9 -Mathematical errors in Table 9.1 have been corrected.
ABSTRACTBacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries have become invaluable tools in plant genetic research. However, it is difficult for new practitioners to create plant BAC libraries de novo because published protocols are not particularly detailed, and plant cells possess features that make isolation of clean, high molecular weight DNA troublesome. In this document we present an illustrated, step-by-step protocol for constructing plant BAC libraries. This protocol is sufficiently detailed to be of use to both new and experienced investigators. We hope that by reducing the obstacles to BAC cloning in plants, we will foster new and accelerated progress in plant genomics.