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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Staining Proteins in Gels
Published on: July 8, 2008
Improved silver staining procedure for fast staining in PhastSystem Development Unit. I. Staining of sodium dodecyl
1Heinrich-Pette-Institut für Experimentelle Virologie und Immunologie, Universität Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
Abstract:
A new modification of silver staining of proteins in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels is adapted to automated staining in PhastSystem Development Unit. The use of a reduction step, after fixation, with thiosulfate in alcoholic sodium acetate buffer results in a considerable increase in sensitivity without the need for a recycling step. The detection limit is tenfold lower than in the silver staining procedure recommended so far for PhastSystem and corresponds to 0.05-0.1 ng protein per band. Total staining time with the new procedure is 75 min.
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