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The easiest and
coolest
way to harvest DNA, RNA and proteins from
plants
No chemical lysis or detergents required!
Your plant samples stay cool! |
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The Bullet Blender™
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No Chemical Lysis or
Harsh Detergents
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No Cross
Contamination
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Samples stay
cool
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Convenient
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Risk Free
Homogenize up to 24 samples of plant matter
simultaneously, in just minutes!
The
Bullet Blender™ enables
you to homogenize up to 24 plant samples in microcentrifuge
tubes
at a time.
Load the leaf clippings, stem pieces, etc., along
with beads and buffer, in standard polypropylene tubes into the
Bullet Blender™
(shown above) or the
Bullet Blender™ Blue.
The "bullets" in the "blender" vigorously strike all
the sample tubes simultaneously for a few minutes.
The agitation homogenizes the samples.
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DNA from Thale Cress (A. Thaliana) and Rice (O. sativa) leaves
homogenized in the Bullet Blender™.
Genomic DNA isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana
and Orzya sativa leaves. Note the large
DNA fragments.
Data provided by
Integrated Plant Genetics, Alachua, FL www.ipgenetics.com |
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“This
past January we purchased a Bullet Blender from Next
Advance. ... Let me begin by saying that we are
extremely satisfied with the product! We have been able to
implement it into a number of protocols that we use in our
lab. Other labs in our department have also taken a
liking to the unit and have been using it along side our
lab.”
“We
have been homogenizing mostly Arabidopsis thaliana leaf
tissues and A. thaliana seedlings.”
Dr. Kyle Bender,
Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, CANADA |
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The Bullet Blender™
holds up to 24 plant
samples in microcentrifuge
tubes at a time.
Process times of 3 to 5 minutes for
homogenizing leaf clippings, stems, roots, seeds,
etc. See our
suggested protocols
for plant tissue and disrupting other cells and tissue.
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The
Bullet Blender™ and
the Bullet Blender™ Blue
enable
you to disrupt or homogenize up to 24
plant or other tissue/cell
samples at a time. Load the plant matter or other samples in
standard polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes into the Bullet
Blender™.
Balls (the "bullets") repeatedly strike the sample
tubes in a controlled manner, thousands of times per
minutes, inducing vigorous motion of the plant
samples or other substances
inside the tubes, providing efficient
mixing. With beads in the tubes, the samples are
thoroughly homogenized. Tune the
extent of disruption by adjusting the speed.
Click here to see sample protocols. |
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No Chemical
Lysis or Harsh Detergents Required
The Bullet Blender™
homogenizes plant tissue and other cells using mechanical action so no alkaline
buffers are necessary. See the
protocols for preparation times and speeds.
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No Cross Contamination
The samples are homogenized non-invasively. The
sample tubes are kept closed during agitation, as the
samples are processed. There are no probes to
clean between samples.
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Samples Stay
Cool
The instrument uses very
little power due to the unique, patented design which allows it to achieve excellent homogenization with just a small DC motor. Unlike ultrasonic homogenizers (also knows as "sonicators") the striking action in the Bullet Blender produces very iittle heat. Also, because
the motor does not need to agitate any heavy
platforms or plates and the simple design involves only one moving part, the Bullet Blender is small, lightweight, and provides best-in-class reliability.
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Convenient to Use
Simply place your leaf
clippings
or other tissue samples or cell cultures and some beads in standard
high quality polypropylene tubes, and load the tubes into the
Bullet Blender™, set the duration and speed, and star the run. There are no probes to clean, so you can go right from one run to the next with no delay.
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Risk Free Purchase
The Bullet Blender™
comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and a 2 year
warranty, with a 3 year warranty on the motor. The simple, reliable design enables the
Bullet
Blenders™ to
sell for a fraction of the price of ultrasonic or
other agitation based instruments, yet provides an easier,
quicker technique.
Click here to go to the main
Bullet Blender™ web page. |
Protocols from customers:
Place 4 ZrO beads, 2mm
diameter, in a 2.0 mL microtube, along with 250 uL
of buffer. Snap 1/2 cap of a fresh green leaf.
Then add another 250 uL of buffer. (If you add all
the buffer before the leaf sample, the leaf will
float). Run at speed 8 for 3 minutes.
Dr. Joseph Reddy, Integrated Plant Genetics,
Alachua, FL
We have
been homogenizing mostly Arabidopsis thaliana leaf
tissues and A. thaliana seedlings. We are using the
Bullet Blender mainly for tissue homogenization
prior to protein and genomic DNA extractions. We
have been using the 1.6mm stainless steel beads for
this purpose. Prior to tissue collection we place 3
or 4 beads into the microcentrifuge tube. We then
collect the tissue and snap freeze the tube in
liquid nitrogen. Once frozen we place tubes into
the bullet blender and pulse the samples 3 or 4
times to disrupt the tissue. After adding
extraction buffer (whatever amount the protocol
calls for, usually around 450-500uL) we homogenize
in the blender at speed 8 for 2 or 3 minutes. This
extraction step has yielded high quality results in
beta-GUS fluorimetric assays and has made PCR-screening
transgenic lines a much smoother process.
Dr. Kyle
Bender, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario |
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Protocol for A. thaliana Homogenization in the Bullet Blender™
The protocol described in this document is for the use of the Bullet Blender™ for the
homogenization of Arabidopsis thaliana tissue (leaves, stems, seeds, or roots). This
protocol does not specify a particular buffer - you may choose which is most
appropriate for your downstream application (nucleic acid isolation, protein extraction,
etc.).
Materials Required:
plant material, Bullet Blender™, homogenization buffer,
pipettor, microcentrifuge tubes, and 0.5mm zirconium oxide
beads (part number ZrOB05).
Instructions:
- Try to remove as much dirt or other debris from the plant by gently shaking.
- If desired, wash the with saline/distilled water to remove any soil or other
particulate matter that is not part of the plant.
- Blot excess liquid from the soft tissue using a Kimwipe® or other lint free cloth.
- Cut the tissue into appropriately sized pieces (0.05 to 0.3g).
- Place the plant tissue into a microcentrifuge tube.
- Add 0.1g to 0.6g of 0.5mm zirconium oxide beads to the tube (twice as much beads as sample). One scoop is
approximately 0.1g beads. One scoop of beads ≈ 170mg.
- Add 0.1m to 0.6mL buffer, i.e. twice as much buffer as sample.
- Close the microcentrifuge tubes.
- Place tubes into the Bullet Blender™.
- Set controls for SPEED 8 and TIME 2 to 3 minutes. Press Start.
- After the run, remove tubes from the instrument.
- Visually inspect samples. If homogenization is unsatisfactory, run for another
five minutes at the SPEED 10.
- Proceed with your downstream application.
SAFETY NOTE!!!
When using a centrifuge to separate your homogenate from
the debris and beads, make sure your tubes are balanced.
Notes
The text above describes a generic protocol. A specific measure of materials from
two different protocols are listed here:
Protocol A
Leaf tissue: ~0.05g
(snap centrifuge cap closed on leaf)
Buffer: 500µL
ZrO beads
SPEED 8, TIME 3 minutes
Protocol B
Leaf tissue: ~0.05g
(snap centrifuge cap closed on leaf)
Buffer: 450-500µL
Stainless Steel beads (1.6mm)
SPEED 8, TIME 2 to 3 minutes
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