title: Background-free, fast protein staining in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel using counterion dyes, zincon and ethyl violet.
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.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chonnam National University, Kwangju, South Korea. jkchoi@chonnam.ac.kr
authors.forename: Jung-Kap
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Keong-Hoon
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Tak
authors.forename: Li-Tai
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Sun-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Tae-Ik
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Gyurng-Soo
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D001391:Azo Compounds; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods; D005562:Formazans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005562:Formazans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D011506:Proteins; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; C009809:2-carboxy-2'-hydroxy-5'-sulfoformazylbenzene; C034887:ethyl violet