Filtration extraction method using microfluidic channel for measuring
environmental DNA
Abstract
The environmental DNA (eDNA) method, which is widely applied for
biomonitoring, is limited to laboratory analysis and processing. In this
study, we developed a filtration/extraction component using a
microfluidic channel, Biryu-Chip (BC), and a filtration/extraction
method, BC method, to minimize the volume of the sample necessary for
DNA extraction and subsequent PCR amplification. We tested the
performance of the BC method and compared it with the Sterivex
filtration/extraction method using aquarium and river water samples. We
observed that using the BC method, the same concentration of the
extracted DNA was obtained with 1/20–1/40 of the filtration volume of
the Sterivex method, suggesting that the BC method can be widely used
for eDNA measurement. In addition, we could perform on-site measurements
of eDNA within 30 min using a mobile PCR device. Using the BC method,
filtration and extraction could be performed easily and quickly. The PCR
results obtained by the BC method were similar to those obtained by the
Sterivex method. The BC method required fewer steps and therefore, the
risk of DNA contamination could be reduced. When combined with a mobile
PCR, the BC method can be applied to easily detect eDNA within 30 min
from a few 10 mL of the water sample, even on-site.