Yes. Many current nucleic acid and protein stains are able to use blue light illumination to fluoresce and indicate the positions of fragments in gels. These stains, when bound to either nucleic acids or proteins, are generally excited in the 450 to 490 nm range and emit their fluorescent signal in the 500 to 700 nm range. The currently available stains offer several advantages that include no longer needing to use UV transillumination, Ethidium bromide stain, and extensive safety use precautions combined with post-use disposal protocols. The use of the blue light protects both the individual as well as the product being analyzed. Sensitivity for detecting nucleic acids and proteins using the BlueView Transilluminator will depend on the sample concentration run in the gel and the specific fluorescent stain being used. Below is a listing of commonly available fluorescent stains available for nucleic acids and proteins along with their respective suppliers.
Nucleic acid stains that work with blue light imagers:
Exceptional:
SYBR Gold – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Fisher Scientific
(SYBR® Gold Nucleic Acid Gel Stain (10,000X)
GelStar – Lonza
(GelStarâ„¢ Nucleic Acid Gel Stain 10,000X)
Perform Well:
SYBR Safe – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Fisher Scientific
(SYBR® Safe DNA Gel Stain 10,000X)
Gel Green – Biotium
(GelGreen Nucleic Acid Gel Stain, 10,000X)
Protein stains that work with blue light imagers:
Perform Well:
SYPRO Ruby – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Fisher Scientific
(SYPRO® Ruby Protein Gel Stain)
SYPRO Orange –Thermo Fisher Scientific,Fisher Scientific
(SYPRO® Orange Protein Gel Stain)
Lumitein – Biotium
(Lumitein Protein Gel Stain)
See also:
Are Ethidium Bromide (ETBR) stained gels readable using a BlueView Transilluminator?
Which fluorescent stains or dyes work with the BlueView Transilluminator?