Molecular Pathology Protocols

In routine histopathology, most tissues are fixed in formalin and embedded
in paraffin for long-term preservation. DNA can be extracted from these
tissues for subsequent molecular analysis by amplification methods. We
describe herein a protocol for DNA preparation from paraffin-embedded
tissues based on published procedures (1–3). In brief, tissue sections are placed
into microfuge tubes, then deparaffinized with xylene. The xylene is removed
with ethanol washes, and the tissue is treated with proteinase K to make DNA
available for amplification.