How long is DNA stable in a freezer?

Question

Inspired by the post about extracting pet DNA, how long would genomic DNA be stable for in a -20°C freezer? It is common practice to store DNA (double-stranded, plasmid) in a -20°C freezer in the lab, but would genomic DNA last longer in a -80°C freezer? With either method, how long would it be stable for?

It depends on your concentration. More concentrated DNA is more stable. — jp89, May 11 '12 at 14:42

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered May 11 '12 at 19:20

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If the DNA is pure, it should last quite a long time. If there are enzymes and other biological molecules in there, -80C will work much better.

I think you could keep pure DNA at -20C practically indefinitely.

Purity is the main issue there, also pH stabilized, sealed properly, etc. That makes all the difference.

answered May 11 '12 at 19:20

shigeta

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I would say that even at 4°C the stability is fairly high – nico May 12 '12 at 12:23
I usually keep plasmid minipreps at 4C for months its true. I think the difference is if the ends of the DNA are sheared or ragged, as in a typical gDNA prep, then it might not be so great to leave it unfrozen. – shigeta Jan 03 '15 at 16:50

score -3 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 01 '13 at 10:53

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You can store your DNA for 1 week at -4C and for one month at -20C but with storing DNA over these period of time there is a deduction of 10-15% of yield from your DNA sample.

answered Sep 01 '13 at 10:53

Qamar Raza Qadri

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Can you provide a citation for this? I am skeptical, because I routinely transfect cells using DNA stocks frozen years ago. – Sep 05 '13 at 15:02

How long is DNA stable in a freezer?

2 Answers2