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Qing Huang, Wei-Ling Fu
Comparative analysis of the DNA staining efficiencies of different fluorescent dyes in preparative agarose gel electrophoresis
Keywords: agarose gel electrophoresis, ethidium bromide, fluorescent dyes, GoldView?, methods, SYBR ® Gold, SYBR ® Green
Ethidium bromide (EB) is a mutagen and toxin that is widely used in the laboratory for visualization of nucleic acids. Safer nucleic acid stains, such as SYBR ® Gold, SYBR ® Green, GoldView?, GeneFinder ®, and GoldStar ®, have been developed. However, there has been no systematic comparative analysis of the staining efficiencies of these dyes. In the present study, SYBR ® Gold, SYBR ® Green I, GoldView? and EB were compared. Although both SYBR ® Gold and SYBR ® Green alter electrophoretic mobility and thus DNA size estimates, they are cost-effective alternatives to EB. SYBR ® Gold was more sensitive than SYBR ® Green I at detecting short fragments, but 50-bp bands were clearly visible using either dye when visualized with a long integration time. SYBR ® Gold or SYBR ® Green I are sensitive and relatively safe alternatives to EB. In our laboratory, the SYBR ® Gold method is now used routinely by all members of our group with great consistency and success.
Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 43, 08/2005
Pages: 841 - 842