Electrophoresis 2002-12-01

Background-free, fast protein staining in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel using counterion dyes, zincon and ethyl violet.

Jung-Kap Choi, Keong-Hoon Tak, Li-Tai Jin, Sun-Young Hwang, Tae-Ik Kwon, Gyurng-Soo Yoo

Index: Electrophoresis 23(24) , 4053-9, (2002)

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Abstract

A background-free, fast protein staining method in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using an acidic dye, zincon (ZC) and a basic dye, ethyl violet (EV) is described. It is based on the counterion dye staining technique that employs two oppositely charged dyes to form an ion-pair complex in staining solution. The selective binding of free dye molecules to proteins in acidic solution produces bluish violet-colored bands. It is a rapid and end-point staining procedure, involving only fixing and staining steps that are completed in 1-1.5 h. The detection limit of this method is 8-15 ng of protein that is comparable to the sensitivity of the colloidal Coomassie Brilliant Blue G (CBBG) stain. Due to its sensitivity and speed, this stain may be more practical than any other dye-based stains for routine laboratory purposes.