Adsorption of DNA on clay minerals and various colloidal particles from an Alfisol

Adsorption and desorption of salmon sperm DNA on four different colloidal fractions from Brown Soil and clay minerals were studied. The adsorption isotherms of DNA on the examined soil colloids and minerals conformed to the Langmuir equation. The amount of DNA adsorbed followed the order: montmorillonite?fine inorganic clay>fine organic clay>kaolinite>coarse inorganic clay>coarse organic clay. A marked decrease in the adsorption of DNA on organic clays and montmorillonite was observed with the increase of pH from 2.0 to 5.0. Negligible DNA was adsorbed by organic clays above pH 5.0. As for inorganic clays and kaolinite, a slow decrease in DNA adsorption was found with increasing pH from 2.0 to 9.0. The results implied that electrostatic interactions played a more important role in DNA adsorption on organic clays and montmorillonite. Magnesium ion was more efficient than sodium ion in promoting DNA adsorption on soil colloids and minerals. DNA molecules on soil colloids and minerals were desorbed by sequential washing with 10 mM Tris, 100 mM NaCl and 100 mM phosphate at pH 7.0. A percentage of 53.7-64.4% of adsorbed DNA on organic clays and montmorillonite was released, while only 10.7-15.2% of DNA on inorganic clays and kaolinite was desorbed by Tris and NaCl. The percent desorption of DNA from inorganic clays, organic clays, montmorillonite and kaolinite by phosphate was 39.7-42.2, 23.6-28.8, 29.7 and 11.4%, respectively. Data from this work indicated that fine clays dominate the amount of DNA adsorption and coarse clays play a more important role in the binding affinity of DNA in soil. Organic matter may not favor DNA adsorption in permanent-charge soil. The information obtained is of fundamental significance for the understanding of the ultimate fate of extracellular DNA in soil.