Multitrack Staining Apparatus with High Resolution and Time-Lapsed Acquisition for Polyacrylamide Gels

• Published in: Instrumentation science & technology Vol. 43; no. 5; pp. 588 - 600
• Main Authors: Maurye, Praveen, Basu, Arpita, Biswas, Jayanta Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 03-09-2015; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Genes; nucleic acids; polyacrylamide gel; proteins; silver staining
• ISSN: 1073-9149; 1525-6030
• DOI: 10.1080/10739149.2015.1027919

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is commonly used for the separation, identification, and purification of mixtures of proteins and nucleic acids. A suitable staining method for the polyacrylamide gels is imperative to determine low concentrations of resolved macromolecules. Several staining methods have been adopted; ethidium bromide, silver, and coomassie staining are the most frequently employed. Silver staining determines macromolecules at nanomolar concentrations but involves many steps and thus is tedious for multiple gels in parallel. In this article, a simple multitrack laboratory-constructed silver staining apparatus is characterized that may enhance the sensitivity of the electrophoresis stains and the homogeneity of detection. In addition, the low cost and simplicity of this system provide wide applicability for gel electrophoresis.