A method for sensitive staining of DNA in polyacrylamide gels using basic fuchsin

Background: PAGE is a widely used analytical method to resolve components of a DNA mixture based on their size. Various DNA visualization methods including fluorescence, visible dye and silver have been used for the detection of gel-separated DNA, with each having different advantages and disadvantages in terms of sensitivity, safety and simplicity. Results: A fast and sensitive visible dye-based staining method for DNA in polyacrylamide gels using basic fuchsin (BF) is described. As low as 10–20 pg of DNA can be visualized within 10 min; the sensitivity is fourfold more sensitive than that of SYBR® Gold stain, the most sensitive...