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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

DNA Electrophoresis Using Thiazole Orange Instead of Ethidium Bromide or Alternative Dyes
Published on: March 31, 2019
An expanding negative detection method for the visualization of DNA in polyacrylamide gels by eosin Y
Zhong-Xin Zhu1, Wei-Tao Cong, Peng-Hui Zhang
1Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceuticals, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
Abstract:
A sensitive and easy technique has been developed for the negative detection of DNA following PAGE using eosin Y. After electrophoresis, gels are fixed and stained within 40 min to provide a detection limit of 0.1-0.2 ng of single DNA band, which appears as transparent and colorless under the opaque gel matrix background. The sensitivity of the new stain is fourfold better than zinc-imidazole negative and ethidium bromide stains. Furthermore, the newly developed staining method has been successfully applied to RNA visualization in polyacrylamide gels. In addition, the inclusion of inorganic salts in staining solution was also investigated, which has great effect on the staining efficiency.
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