Extraction of DNA,RNA, and glycogen from oysters

The macromolecules DNA, RNA, and glycogen (CHO)_N were extracted with phenol from eggs, sperm, and the combined gill, mantle, and digestive gland tissues of oysters, using methods effective for the HeLa cells. From the eggs, most of the (CHO)_N and RNA coprecipitated in 20% ethanol whereas the DNA precipitated from 50% ethanol solutions. From the combined tissues all three macromolecules precipitated in 20% ethanol whereas from sperm they precipitated from 50% ethanol solutions. The DNA preparation from sperm was viscous and white but contained mostly (CHO)_N and some RNA. However, the DNA-(CHO)_N-RNA preparation was rendered insoluble in saline by CaPO₄ treatment and was not toxic for mammalian kidney cells in tissue culture. Thus, the methods do not yield pure nucleic acids but appear suitable for attempts to extract infectious DNA from oysters.