TissueLyser II

For medium- to high-throughput sample disruption for molecular analysis

Features

  • Convenient and secure disruption process
  • Adapter sets optimized for high-throughput disruption
  • Wide range of accessories available
  • Reproducible results with difficult-to-lyse tissues
  • Front-end solution for QIAGEN automation

Product Details

The TissueLyser II simultaneously disrupts multiple biological samples through high-speed shaking in plastic tubes with stainless steel, tungsten carbide, or glass beads. Using the appropriate adapter set, up to 48 or 192 samples can be processed at the same time. Alternatively, a grinding jar set can be used to process large samples. A range of beads, bead dispensers, and collection microtubes and caps are also available.

All TissueLyser II accessories, including adapter sets, are also compatible with the TissueLyser (no longer available).

Performance

The TissueLyser II is well-suited for high-throughput disruption of human, animal, and plant tissues, bacteria, and yeast. Highly reproducible purification of high-quality DNA, RNA, miRNA, and protein is achieved, even with difficult-to-lyse tissues (see figures " Efficient disruption of animal tissues", "Reproducible RNA purification from plant tissues", " Reproducible DNA purification from animal tissue", " Purification of intact protein from animal tissue", " Reproducible RNA purification from Gram-positive bacteria", and " Reliable detection of miRNAs").

See figures

Principle

Genotyping, gene expression, and proteomics applications demand effective disruption of biological samples to ensure high yields of DNA, RNA, and protein. Effortless disruption with the TissueLyser II system is achieved through high-speed shaking with beads, which beat and grind samples. The TissueLyser II system delivers thorough and rapid disruption of samples to fully release biomolecules, and also simultaneously homogenizes samples to facilitate subsequent purification procedures using QIAGEN kits (see table "QIAGEN purification kits compatible with QIAGEN disruption systems").

The TissueLyser II is an integral part of QIAGEN's complete solution for sample management — from sample collection to purification and analysis of DNA, RNA, and protein. The TissueLyser II complements QIAGEN automation for high-throughput sample preparation and analysis (see table "QIAGEN high-throughput automation"), such as the QIAsymphony SP. This easy-to-use instrument automates purification of DNA, RNA, and protein from 1–96 samples. The TissueLyser II is also compatible with QIAGEN manual sample preparation kits (see table "QIAGEN purification kits compatible with QIAGEN disruption systems").

For RNA applications, stabilization of fresh tissues in RNAprotect Tissue Reagent prevents RNA degradation during sample handling. For applications requiring purification of DNA, RNA, and protein, these 3 analytes can be immediately stabilized by placing fresh tissues in Allprotect Tissue Reagent.

QIAGEN high-throughput automation
Instrument Purpose Throughput
QIAsymphony SP Purification of DNA, RNA, and protein 1–96 samples per run
BioRobot Universal System Purification of DNA and RNA 96-well format
QIAxcel Electophoretic analysis of DNA fragments and RNA Up to 96 samples per run
QIAgility Reaction setup Up to 384 samples per run
Rotor-Gene Q Real-time PCR and high-resolution melting (HRM) analyses Up to 100 samples per run
PyroMark Q96 MD or ID Methylation and mutation analyses Up to 96 samples per run

 

QIAGEN purification kits compatible with QIAGEN disruption systems
Analyte purified Sample type QIAGEN kit
RNA Easy-to-lyse tissue

RNeasy Kits

RNeasy Plus Kits
RNeasy Protect Kits
RNA Fiber-rich tissue RNeasy Fibrous Tissue Kits
RNA All types of tissue RNeasy Lipid Tissue Kits
RNeasy Universal Tissue Kits
RNA Plant tissue RNeasy Plant Mini Kit
RNA Yeast RNeasy Kits
RNA Bacteria RNeasy Protect Bacteria Kits
microRNA All types of tissue miRNeasy Kits
DNA Human tissue QIAamp DNA Kits
DNA Animal tissue DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kits
Protein Tissue Qproteome Mammalian Protein Prep Kit
Phosphoprotein Tissue PhosphoProtein Purification Kit
Glycoprotein Tissue Qproteome Glycoprotein Kits
DNA and RNA Tissue AllPrep DNA/RNA Kits
DNA, RNA, and protein Tissue AllPrep DNA/RNA/Protein Mini Kit

Procedure

TissueLyser Adapter Sets allow processing of up to 2 x 96 samples in collection microtubes or up to 2 x 24 samples in 2 ml microcentrifuge tubes. The adapter sets can be precooled at –80°C if disrupting samples without lysis buffer. Tubes remain securely sealed during disruption to prevent cross-contamination, which is especially important for highly sensitive downstream applications, such as real-time RT-PCR or microarray analysis. Depending on the sample type, disruption is carried out using stainless steel, tungsten carbide, or glass beads. TissueLyser Bead Dispensers are available to conveniently deliver single beads into microcentrifuge tubes or to deliver 96 beads in parallel into collection microtubes. The TissueLyser II can also disrupt large samples when used in combination with Grinding Jar Sets.

Applications

The ability to process up to 192 samples per run makes the TissueLyser II the ideal front-end solution to access biological information for genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics applications. For next-generation, high-throughput sequencing technologies, the TissueLyser II is the disruption instrument of choice. A wide range of QIAGEN sample purification kits are compatible with the TissueLyser II, and sample purification can be performed manually or can be automated using the QIAcube, QIAsymphony SP, EZ1 Advanced, or BioRobot or BioSprint workstations.

Supporting data and figures

Resources

Safety Data Sheets (1)
Certificates of Analysis (1)

FAQ

Are the stainless steel beads magnetic?

Stainless steel beads sold by QIAGEN are not guaranteed to be magnetic. However, you may find some lots of the beads to be magnetic, due to small variations in the chemical compositions (which do not affect the disruptive functions of the beads).

FAQ ID -9180
Do you have a protocol for disrupting animal tissues with TissueLyser for the purpose of extracting proteins?

We have not specifically tested this application. However, several customers have successfully used QIAGEN’s TissueLyser II for disruption of animal tissues to extract proteins. We suggest:

  1. Pre-cool one 5 mm stainless steel bead and the TissueLyser II adapter at 4°C.
  2. Chill the appropriate lysis buffer by incubating at 4°C prior to use
  3. Freeze tissue in dry ice and immediately add 1 cold bead plus 200–300 µL of chilled lysis buffer to the TissueLyser II adapter
  4. Disrupt twice, each time for 30 s at 20 Hz

Please be advised that these are suggestions only and have not been thoroughly tested by QIAGEN. It is the user’s responsibility to test and further optimize if necessary.

FAQ ID -9177
What are the dimensions and weight of TissueLyser II?

Height: 266 mm (up to 524 mm with the hood raised)

Width: 371 mm

Depth: 461 mm

Weight: Approx. 26 kg (without TissueLyser Adapter Set or Grinding Jar Set installed)

FAQ ID -9186
Can I precool the TissueLyser 2 x 24 Adapter Set or the 2 x 96 Adapter Set using liquid nitrogen?

We do not recommend using the adapters of the TissueLyser II with liquid nitrogen. Instead, the adapters can be precooled at –80°C, either in the freezer or on dry ice.

FAQ ID -9173
How can I verify the frequency of TissueLyser II?

We do not have instructions or recommendations for you to perform frequency verification on our TissueLyser II. However, our Regional Repair Center can offer this as a service. Please contact QIAGEN Technical Service to request service.

FAQ ID -9176
How can I disrupt tough samples, such as bone and teeth, with your TissueLyser II?
We recommend using the stainless steel Grinding Jar Set (cat. no. 69985) for disruption of tough samples, such as bone and teeth. Best results were seen with:
1. Take no more than 1 g of bone
2. Add material to the Grinding Jar Set containing a grinding ball
3. Pour in liquid nitrogen
4. As soon as the liquid nitrogen evaporates, assemble the Grinding Jar Set into the TissueLyser
5. Operate for 1 min at 30 Hz
FAQ ID -9174
Do you sell ceramic beads or glass beads for use with TissueLyser II or TissueLyser LT?

We do not sell ceramic beads or glass beads for use with our TissueLyser II or TissueLyser LT instruments. However, we still sell stainless steal beads and tungsten carbide beads. For more information, please go to this link.

FAQ ID -9189
Sometimes I see leaks from the tubes after disruption in TissueLyser II. What could be causing this?

Check assembly of the TissueLyser II adapter. It is very important to assemble the TissueLyser adapter correctly. If done incorrectly, the caps of tubes will not remain tight during the disruption and can result in the leak.

Adapter assembly

FAQ ID -9171
What is the material of the grinding balls supplied with the Teflon Grinding Jar Set (cat. no. 69986)?

The material of the grinding jar as well as the grinding ball is Teflon. The ball has a stainless steel core and a coating of Teflon.

FAQ ID -9184
My TissueLyser II sometimes fails to maintain the set frequency. What should I do?

Frequency can be set from 3–30 Hz and is kept constant by a speed controller during operation. It may vary in a range of 0.2–0.4 Hz. If you see larger variations, please make sure not to overload the sample tubes with too much starting material.

If the issue persists, please contact QIAGEN Technical Service to have a repair by QIAGEN’s Regional Repair Center.

FAQ ID -9170
What is the maximum amount of tissue that can be disrupted using the 2 x 24 TissueLyser Adapter Set (cat. no. 69982)?

100 mg tissue per sample tube is the maximum amount we recommend when using the 2 x 24 Adapter Set. Larger amounts of tissue would require considered optimization, depending on the tissue type and condition.

When using 100 mg tissue, for best homogenization results, we recommend cutting the sample into 2 pieces of approximately 50 mg each prior to disruption and performing disruption twice, each time at 25 Hz for 5 min.

FAQ ID -9178
How can I improve DNA yields from very tough tissues using the DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit or the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit?

Efficient DNA isolation requires thorough sample disruption and digestion.

Although the QIAamp and DNeasy procedures requires no mechanical disruption of the tissue sample, the lysis time will be reduced if the sample is ground in liquid nitrogen or mechanically homogenized in advance. For mechanical homogenization, a rotor–stator homogenizer, such as the QIAGEN TissueRuptor, or a bead mill, such as the QIAGEN TissueLyser, can be used.

To improve digestion of tough tissue samples, Proteinase K incubation at 56°C can be performed overnight. DNA yields may be improved by increasing the amount of Proteinase K or by adding additional proteinase K after several hours of digestion.  

FAQ ID -374
Can I use 3 mm beads with a 5 mm or 7 mm bead dispenser?
Unfortunately, this is not possible. The 3 mm beads are not compatible with the 5 mm or 7 mm TissueLyser Single Bead Dispenser, as this could result in dispensation of multiple beads, and/or the dispenser may get blocked.
FAQ ID -9185
Can I use Buffer ATL for disruption of my samples with TissueRuptor, TissueLyser II, or TissueLyser LT instruments?

Buffer ATL can produce foam when used in conjunction with the TissueRuptor. You can add 0.5% final volume of Reagent DX (cat. no. 19088) to prevent the formation of foam.

FAQ ID -9143
Are the beads RNase free or sterile?

We do not guarantee the stainless steel beads to be RNase free. However, when used according to our specifications for disruption of biological samples, no special treatment is needed to make the beads RNase free. This is because our chaotropic lysis buffers will usually inactivate these and RNases contained in the samples themselves.

FAQ ID -9181
Are the stainless beads ready to use? Do I need to pretreat them with acid before use?

Our stainless steel beads and tungsten carbide beads are ready to use.

FAQ ID -9183
How to disrupt plant seeds?

We have not specifically tested this application. We suggest using a 7 mm stainless steel bead and disrupting the samples twice at 30 Hz for 2 min each.

Please be advised that these are suggestions only and have not been thoroughly tested by QIAGEN. It is the user’s responsibility to test and further optimize if necessary.

FAQ ID -9175
1. Can I get the spare parts to repair the TissueLyser II on my own? The bolt for the clamp of my TissueLyser II is stripped and does not screw tightly anymore.

All TissueLyser II repairs must be done by QIAGEN’s Regional Repair Center. Please contact QIAGEN Technical Service.

FAQ ID -9169
Can I use the 2 ml Sample Tubes RB (cat. no. 990381) with TissueLyser II and TissueLyser LT?

Yes, the 2 ml Sample Tubes RB (cat. no. 990381) can be used with both TissueLyser II and TissueLyser LT.

FAQ ID -9188
4. I just got a new TissueLyser II and found it to be very noisy during operation. What can be the issue?

When a new TissueLyser II is shipped, it has a transport security device located on the underside of the TissueLyser II. This is comprised of 2 screws as shown below. Remove the 2 screws using a screwdriver. Do not discard the screws, as they will need to be reinstalled if the TissueLyser II needs to be transported in the future. 

Transport security device

FAQ ID -9172
How to clean the stainless steel beads?

Stainless steel beads can be reused for DNA extractions with DNeasy Plant Kits. Used beads can be recovered from cell-debris and cleaned using the procedure below:

  1. Close the cap of the 2 ml microtube and briefly vortex to dislodge the bead and pellet from the bottom of the tube. If using grinding jars for the disruption of large sample volumes, skip to step 2.
  2. Empty the contents of the tubes/jars into a sieve and rinse the beads thoroughly with water.
  3. Incubate beads in 0.4 M HCl for 1 min at room temperature (15–25°C) to degrade any DNA and avoid cross-contamination in future preparations.
  4. Rinse beads thoroughly with distilled water to remove the HCl.
  5. Dry beads before use.

You can also find these instructions in Appendix B of the DNeasy Plant Handbook.

FAQ ID -9179
Do you sell the 3 mm stainless steel beads?

We do not sell 3 mm stainless steel beads for use with our TissueLyser instruments.

FAQ ID -9187
What is the part number for the O-ring or gasket on the stainless steel grinding jar set (cat. no. 69958)?

QIAGEN does not carry this part. You can however purchase the O-ring from Retsch. Their part no. is 22.085.0006. Please see http://www.retsch.com/

FAQ ID -9182