SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain: Introduction, Other SYBR Dyes, Sensitivity

SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain: Introduction, Other SYBR Dyes, Sensitivity, Ease of Use, Compatibility and Flexibility

Introduction of SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain

SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain name is a DNA stain but it also stains RNA. It is a highly sensitive stain for visualization of DNA in agarose or acrylamide gels. It is specifically formulated to be a less hazardous alternative to commonly using ethidium bromide that can utilize either blue light or UV excitation. It is beneficial for us for the following purposes- It reduces exposure to highly mutagenic ethidium bromide and harmful UV light. It increases sensitivity by reducing nonspecific background fluorescence and also it applies in place of ethidium bromide for all staining applications, even including RNA staining

Other SYBR Dyes

Types of SYBR dyes are-

SYBR Green I: It is used for staining dsDNA and ssDNA.
SYBR Green II: It stains dsDNA and ssDNA but has better sensitivity for RNA.
SYBR Gold: SYBR Gold was developed after SYBR Green I and II and is the most sensitive fluorescent gel stain.

Sensitivity of SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain

It offers excellent sensitivity in nucleic acid visualization and documentation applications with either UV excitation or blue-light excitation. When it is bound to nucleic acids, the green-fluorescent SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain has fluorescence excitation maxima at nearly 280 and 502 nm, and an emission maximum at 530 nm. Plus, when used with blue light illumination, the stain has less background fluorescence than ethidium bromide-stained gels illuminated with UV light.

Ease of use of SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain

SYBR Safe stain is supplied as a 10,000X concentrate in DMSO which can be used just like a solution of ethidium bromide. It can be mixed into an agarose gel for staining during electrophoresis or the gel can be incubated in a solution of this stain following electrophoresis. It can be stored at room temperature in its original packaging to avoid excessive light exposure. The company also offers SYBR Safe E-Gel pre-cast agarose gels for the ultimate inconvenience.

Compatibility of SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain

It is compatible with blue light imaging systems as well as UV.

Flexibility of SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain

It is applicable in DNA typing, PCR-based assays, DNA damage assays, analysis of complex samples, and real-time PCR detection.

Safety of SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain

It is safer than ethidium bromide since it has been specifically formulated and evaluated in a battery of toxicity tests with results indicating so that it is less mutagenic and safer to work with than ethidium bromide.

Keynotes on SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain

All SYBR dyes bind to dsDNA, ssDNA, and RNA but vary in sensitivity.
SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain is less sensitive than the SYBR Green I and II but comparable to ethidium bromide.
SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain is a reduced mutagenicity formula designed for use with blue light systems.
SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain is for research use only and thus it is not preferred for use in diagnostic procedures.
The reuse of SYBR Safe stain is not preferred since such practice significantly lowers its sensitivity.
SYB Green I Nucleic Acid Gel Stain has sensitivity at least four times greater than ethidium bromide for DNA in agarose gels.

universe84a