Purification and separation of various plasmid forms by exclusion chromatography

A chromatographic method for the rapid isolation of preparative amounts of plasmid DNA without the use of cesium chloride centrifugation is described. The protocol uses the alkaline extraction procedure and an exclusion column of Fractogel TSK 75S. From a clear lysate it is possible to obtain plasmid DNA completely free of proteins, RNA, and chromosomal DNA. From partially purified plasmid the procedure allows the separation of the different forms. This technique was successfully applied to different plasmids ranging in size from 2.9 to 17.5 MDa. It is a preparative method yielding easily 500 micrograms of pBR322 from 1 liter of amplified culture. The plasmid is suitable for topoisomerase I, topoisomerase II, and EcoRI assays.