ABSTRACT
While bacterial cell lysis is a relatively straight-forward process, there are significant variations in its practice. The type of lysis is often dependent upon what subcellular component is to be purified; such as the isolation of DNA versus protein, the scale of the project; miniprep versus industrial-scale, and the type of microbe; Gram-negative versus Gram-positive. Generally, microbial lysis methods can be broken down into three categories based on the relative harshness/intensity of the method: gentle, moderate, or vigorous (Table 13.1). 1 Many of these methods give comparable results and only personal preference plays a role in selection. Others are better suited to specific tasks and should be looked on with preference.
