Why is dye used in gel electrophoresis

The dye exhibits fold greater UV fluorescence enhancement once it is bound to nucleic acids. It then penetrates thick and high percentage agarose gels and can be used in formaldehyde gels. Because fluorescence of the unbound molecule is so low, destaining is not required. Because they bind to DNA, they are still considered potential mutagens and because of that, they should be handled with care.

Like the popular ethidium bromide stain, these highly sensitive stains fluoresce under UV light. It is not considered hazardous waste and can generally be disposed of through the regular sewer systems i. The stain can be used with a blue-light transilluminator which causes less damage to the DNA being visualized and offers better efficiency for later cloning.

This makes it very useful for applications like quantitative real-time PCR. It is also a good choice if you are using low-melting-point gels for recovery of DNA. It is very stable at high temperatures and has very low fluorescence on its own, but is highly fluorescent when bound to DNA. Eva Green has also been demonstrated to have very low or no cytotoxicity or mutagenicity. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Free to read. To arrive at the top five similar articles we use a word-weighted algorithm to compare words from the Title and Abstract of each citation. Electrophoresis , 36 20 , 01 Oct Cited by: 0 articles PMID: J Biochem Biophys Methods , 57 1 , 01 Jul Cited by: 4 articles PMID: Anal Biochem , 2 , 01 Mar Cited by: articles PMID: Williams LR.

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Search articles by 'Alicia M Haines'. Haines AM 1 ,. Tobe SS ,. Kobus HJ ,. Linacre A. Affiliations 1 author 1. Share this article Share with email Share with twitter Share with linkedin Share with facebook. Abstract Nucleic acid staining dyes are used for detecting nucleic acids in electrophoresis gels. Historically, the most common dye used for gel staining is ethidium bromide, however due to its toxicity and mutagenicity other dyes that are safer to the user and the environment are preferred.

This Short Communication details the properties of dyes now available and their sensitivity for detection of DNA and their ability to permeate the cell membrane. Full text links Read article at publisher's site DOI : Her work history includes working as a naturalist in Minnesota and Wisconsin and presenting interactive science programs to groups of all ages.

She enjoys writing online articles sharing information about science and education. Currently, Dr. Dowd is a dean of students at a mid-sized university. The Purpose of Electrophoresis. How Electrophoresis Works. Gel Electrophoresis Lab Procedures.

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