ABSTRACT
AIM: To explore a simple, reliable method for tissue processing and section staining by extracting DNA from the manually microdissectioned specimen, and to identify whether the extracted DNA is useful in the following study at molecule level. METHODS: The experiment was performed at the pathological laboratory of Guangdong Medical College from July 2004 to July 2007. The paraffin imbedding tissue sections of cervical cancer were thoroughly deparaffinized after mounted on slides for a long period of time. The nucleus was slightly stained with hematoxylin and microdissectioned under inverted microscope. The microdissectioned samples were put into EP tubes filled with digestion buffer to split the cells and then the DNA was extracted. During the whole course, PE tubes did not change, and the complicated phenol/chloroform extraction did not perform. The DNA extraction was rapid and simple. RESULTS: The DNA was measured by the spectrophotometer with concentrations from 0.14 to 5.25 g/L and absorbance values of A260/A280 were 1.6-1.8. All samples were amplified with PCR to produce expected length specific target fragment (231 bp). CONCLUSION: Rapid DNA extraction after manual tissue microdissection can produce adequate amount of DNA and maintain good quality of DNA template for PCR. The DNA meets the need of the following molecular experiments.