Unusual patterns of susceptibility to degradation of DNA isolated from tissues in Peromyscus californicus.

Isolation of intact, high molecular weight genomic DNA from the livers of 2 subspecies of Peromyscus californicus without excessive degradation was typically unattainable, whereas highly intact DNA from livers of other Peromyscus (field mice) species is invariably obtained using the same isolation methods. Additionally, highly intact DNA was obtained from splenic tissues of adult P. californicus and hepatic tissue of juvenile animals, indicating that the phenomenon is tissue-specific and age-related.