Rapid Capture of DNA from Human Urine Using Chitosan-Coated Nylon Membrane and Its Application

DNA fragments in urine are a promising biomarker for non-invasive genetic analysis. In this study, a method was developed to capture DNA from urine by using a nylon membrane combined filter device. The nylon membranes were functionalized by chitosan which has high binding capacity for nucleic acids. The current method could capture DNA from 8 ml of standard solution with a DNA concentration as low as 0.05 ng/ml. Urine DNA was captured by this method from ten healthy people, and then, a nylon membrane with a diameter of 1.2 mm punched by a hole puncher was added in PCR to detect the leptin gene. The results showed that there were normal amplification curves after PCR, indicating that the method was feasible for detecting genes in urine. The method developed in this study is non-invasive, rapid, and simple for gene detection.