Simple colony PCR procedure for the filamentous actinobacteria Frankia

Molecular analysis of the filamentous actinobacteria Frankia is laborious because of the slow growth rate and required biomass needed for these techniques. An efficient and simple colony PCR protocol for Frankia was developed that saved time for analysis of any Frankia strains growing on a plate. Previously, it took 5-6 weeks to get the correct size Frankia colonies on plates and then a minimum of 5 weeks of growth in liquid culture for DNA extraction. With this technique, these colonies could be screened after 5-6 weeks of growth by colony PCR. The procedure used a combination of mechanical and heat treatments and required no added buffers or chemicals. Our results demonstrate rapid and efficient PCR.