Detecção de DNA ambiental (eDNA) utilizando diferentes membranas na cachoeira do Lajedo em Pedro II-PI, Brasil

Abstract

Environmental DNA is present in various environments such as: water, air and soil, which are released by various organisms. His study has been gaining strength over time, several studies have already been carried out in the area, merging with other areas such as molecular biology and genetics, mainly addressing research in aquatic environments, being used for species identification, optimizing protocols for different environments. The work was carried out at the Lajedo waterfall located in the municipality of Pedro II, Piauí, Brazil. The study in question used a portable equipment as an aid to carry out the collection, which was developed with the purpose of facilitating and assisting the capture of environmental DNA, bypassing the limitation of collection in areas of difficult access. The retention capacity of three different types of membranes was tested: nylon, polypropylene (coffee filter) and filter paper, in waterfall environments to prove the efficiency of particle retention by the membranes. With the capture of cell samples, the membranes were placed in microtubules with a lysis buffer solution and were stored in a polystyrene and taken to the laboratory for analysis, where we tested and developed an extraction protocol suitable for the collection method we used in the study. After extraction, the extracted DNA underwent electrophoretic runs on agarose gels to visualize the concentration and integrity of the material. We conclude with the study that the three membranes showed the capacity to retain environmental DNA, presenting its visualization in agarose gel, in addition to the effectiveness of the developed equipment.