Streamlining ChIP for qPCR Analysis

Chromatrap®, a business unit of Porvair Sciences, has an announced solid state ChIP kits which rapidly improve chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) through a unique patented technology that streamlines the process, ensuring chromatin preparation to qPCR analysis can be performed in under five hours.

Chromatrap® is a ground breaking technology that offers a quicker, easier and more efficient way of undertaking ChIP assays. Chromatrap® kits for qPCR use revolutionary Chromatrap® Protein-A or Protein-G spin columns which contain discs of an inert, porous polymer to which protein A/G has been covalently attached. During an assay, the chromatin/antibody complex is retained by the disc. Flushing with three buffers and an elution step are all that is required to obtain the DNA fragments of interest. Operating without the use of magnetic or agarose beads all but eliminates non-specific background and drastically reduces manual handling error and sample loss. Optimized elution buffer chemistry allows samples to be analysed directly in qPCR without the need for DNA clean up, further reducing sample loss.

The Chromatrap® ChIP kit for qPCR contains sufficient Protein-A/G spin-columns, buffers and reagents to perform 24 chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and up to 10 chromatin preparations by sonication. The kit is designed for use as qPCR as the downstream process only and has a wide dynamic range suitable for low chromatin loadings (50ng-7000ng). In independent testing Chromatrap®, demonstrated levels of DNA pull down up to 25 times higher than with traditional bead based procedures, excellent DNA enrichment with signal-to-noise ratios typically 2 to 3 times better than competing procedures and top performance even with samples with as few as 15,000 cells per assay.