E-Gel™ Agarose Gels with SYBR™ Safe DNA Gel Stain, 2% - FAQs

Similarly to ethidium bromide, SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain runs in the opposite direction of the migrating DNA. This has no practical effect on the use of gels cast with SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain, as only the very bottom of the gel will have a lower concentration of stain. This effect can be partially counteracted by staining the gel with SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain after electrophoresis. Solutions of dye should not be added to the running buffer as this can cause breakdown of the dye at the electrodes and release toxic volatile compounds into the air.

SYBR Safe-stained gels can be visualized with a standard UV transilluminator, a laser-based scanner equipped with an excitation source in the UV range or between 470 and 530 nm, or a blue-light transilluminator.

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Here are some suggestions:

- Try cleaning the cassettes with alcohol and Kimwipes wipers.
- Try cleaning the camera lens.
- Try to adjust the exposure time and brightness options of the documentation system you are using.

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Please ensure that you have not overloaded the well and that the wells were not damaged during comb removal.

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While we recommend storage at room temperature, these gels will still be usable. Bring the gels to room temperature prior to the run for optimal conditions.

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First check the percentage of your agarose gel. A higher percentage will help you to resolve smaller molecular weights while a lower percentage will help you to resolve larger molecular weights.

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Loading buffer is optional. Samples can be loaded directly into the wells if no buffer is used, or you can dilute them with deionized water or TE buffer. If you want to use a loading buffer, please see the recipes below:

E-Gel agarose gels (including EX)
10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5
1 mM EDTA
0.005% bromophenol blue
0.005% xylene cyanol FF
E-Gel CloneWell II and E-Gel SizeSelect II agarose gels
10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5
1 mM EDTA

Alternatively, you can use 10X BlueJuice Gel Loading Buffer or TrackIt Loading Buffer. Dilute this buffer 50- to 200-fold to obtain optimal results with E-Gel agarose gels.

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To determine the amount of DNA to load per well for your specific E-Gel agarose gel, please refer to the table on page 14 of the E-Gel Power Snap Electrophoresis System user guide (https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/LSG/manuals/MAN0017050_egel_powersnapsystem_UG.pdf).

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We offer our E-Editor Software, which can help you align images after a gel run. The E-Editor 2.0 Software is only available for PCs, but the older E-Gel 96 Editor software is still available for the Mac operating system and can align images from E-Gel 96 and E-PAGE 96 agarose gels. However, the original software is not compatible with E-Gel 48 or E-PAGE 48 agarose gels. Please go to www.thermofisher.com and enter "E-Editor software" in the main search to download the E-Editor Software. You can use the E-Gel Imager System for data analysis.

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p>High-throughput E-Gel agarose gels have staggered wells, and are based on a neutral-pH internal buffer system as opposed to an ion exchange matrix. High-throughput E-Gel agarose gels cannot be opened, and should be run on the E-Gel E-Base system.

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If you do not have enough samples to use all the wells, fill each empty well with the same volume of water as the loaded samples. For E-Gel CloneWell II agarose gels and E-Gel SizeSelect II agarose gels, it is important to add the water according to the respective manual.

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Our E-Gel agarose gels can be used for either DNA or RNA separation. RNA separation occurs under non-denaturing or denaturing conditions. Please note, our gels are not QC tested for the presence of RNases. See our suggestions below for running your non-denaturing or denaturing samples:

Non-denaturing conditions
1. Mix RNA sample with 15 µL of RNase-free water.
2. Do not heat. Load the entire sample onto the E-Gel agarose gel.
3. Electrophorese for 30 min.

Denaturing conditions
1. Mix 15 µL of RNA loading buffer with 1-5 µL of RNA (1-5 µg).
2. Heat samples at 65 degrees C for 10 min to denature RNA.
3. Place samples on ice immediately after heating.
4. Load entire sample onto E-Gel agarose gel.
5. Electrophorese for 30 min.

Note:
- The only denaturing agent that is compatible with the E-Gel system is formamide, 50-95%. Heating the sample for 5 min at 65 degrees C should be sufficient for denaturing. Using other denaturing agents like glyoxal, formaldehyde, or urea will result in very poor separation and band morphology on E-Gel agarose gels.
- Additionally, we do not recommend running samples with RNA loading buffer on the same gel as samples loaded with water.
- E-Gel EX Double Comb agarose gels and E-Gel Double Comb agarose gels with SYBR Safe stain have not been tested for use in RNA applications.

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We recommend using the E-Gel Opener (Cat. No. G530001) for the SYBR and ethidium bromide E-Gel agarose gels. The E-Gel EX agarose gels, E-Gel SizeSelect agarose gels, and E-Gel GO! agarose gels can be opened with the Gel Knife (Cat. No. EI9010). We do not recommend opening the E-Gel 48 agarose gels or the E-Gel 96 agarose gels.

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To create a bufferless system, each E-Gel cassette contains two unique ion exchange matrices that lie between the running gel and the electrodes. The ion exchange matrices provide a buffer-ion reservoir that supplies a continuous flow of Tris, acetate, and dye ions throughout the gel. This patented technology results in a sustained electric field with enhanced buffering capacity. E-Gel gels thus eliminate the need for you to prepare and dispose of liquid buffer, thus saving time and waste.

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The E-Gel agarose gel system is a precast bufferless TAE system that uses ion exchange matrices. The gels themselves are enclosed within a semi-UV-transparent cassette. This patented technology results in a sustained electric field with enhanced buffering capacity. E-Gel gels thus eliminate the need for you to prepare and dispose of liquid buffer, thus saving time and waste.

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Intact RNA should have a 2:1 ratio of 28S:18S bands. You may see a smear of RNA that extends from <9 kb to 0.5 kb, indicating the presence of mRNA in the sample. To see an image or to read more about RNA assessment, visit this website (https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/references/protocols/nucleic-acid-purification-and-analysis/rna-protocol/agarose-gel-electrophoresis-of-rna.html).

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For nondenaturing RNA electrophoresis, we recommend using our E-Gel Precast Agarose Gels. Please note that E-Gel Agarose Gels are not validated to be RNAse-free. However, many of our customers routinely use E-Gel Agarose Gels for RNA analysis with success. If RNA is run on an E-Gel Agarose Gel, any loading buffer that would be used for nondenaturing RNA electrophoresis should be fine.

For denaturing RNA electrophoresis, there are several denaturing agents to choose from, including formaldehyde, glyoxal, formamide, and methyl mercury. Denaturing conditions disrupt hydrogen bonding so that RNA runs without secondary structure, as single-stranded molecules.

For denaturing RNA electrophoresis, our E-Gel EX Agarose Gels can be used. The only denaturing agent that is compatible with the E-Gel EX system is formamide, 50-90%. Using other denaturing agents will result in poor band separation and morphology. Please note that we do not recommend running samples prepared in RNA loading buffer on the same gel with samples prepared in water. Please see below for the RNA loading buffer recipe and denaturing electrophoresis conditions:

RNA Loading Buffer:
Deionized formamide: 200 µL
10X MOPS-EDTA-Sodium Acetate Buffer (0.4 M MOPS, pH 7.0, 0.1 M sodium acetate, 10 mM EDTA): 40 µL
Deionized formaldehyde: 76 µL
Water: 14 µL

Denaturing Electrophoresis Conditions:
1. Mix 15 µL of RNA loading buffer with 1-5 µL of RNA (1-5 µg).
2. Heat samples at 65 degrees C for 10 min to denature RNA.
3. Place samples on ice immediately after heating.
4. Load entire sample onto an E-Gel EX agarose gel.
5. Electrophorese for 30 minutes.

For denaturing RNA electrophoresis under formaldehyde-free conditions, we recommend using our NorthernMax-Gly Kit (Cat. No. AM1946). With this kit, RNA samples are denatured in glyoxal/DMSO loading buffer and run on a glyoxal-containing agarose gel.

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Agarose is commonly used as it is nontoxic, easy to use, and offers a broad range of separation. We offer precast E-Gel Agarose Gels or reagents to pour your own agarose gels. Polyacrylamide gels are typically used for high resolution of DNA molecules that range in size from 10-3,000 bp. We offer precast Invitrogen TBE polyacrylamide gels and UltraPure reagents.

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Yes, SYBR Safe stain is easily removed from nucleic acids by ethanol precipitation or by the ethanol wash steps used for purification spin columns.

We have found a distinct advantage to using SYBR Safe stain rather than ethidium bromide when purifying DNA from gels for downstream use. SYBR Safe stain is compatible with blue light imaging systems as well as UV. Using blue light to visualize the DNA allows you to purify a band with virtually no UV-induced nicking or crosslinking. This can dramatically increase cloning efficiency. Data from one such experiment showing higher cloning efficiency with PCR products visualized with SYBR Safe and blue light vs. ethidium bromide and UV light can be seen on the information page for Safe Imager 2.0 Blue-Light Transilluminator (Cat. No. G6600) and on the SYBR Safe home page.

We recommend that SYBR Safe stain be protected from light during storage and gel staining. However, it is sufficiently stable to withstand UV illumination for >30 minutes; realistically, hours of constant UV or bright room light exposure are required to cause any significant loss of signal.

SYBR Safe stain yields the same sensitivity as ethidium bromide - roughly 500 pg/band in a minigel for fragments larger than 200 bp viewed on a 300 nm transilluminator.

Many whitening agents used in clothing, some synthetic fibers, as well as some fungi and bacteria, fluoresce at the same wavelength as SYBR Safe stain. These contaminants within or on the surface of the gel may produce this “speckling”. This can be avoided by being careful with preparation of the gel (i.e. try to keep the gel dust free). Alternatively, to obtain a publication quality image you may be able to preferentially photobleach some contaminants by leaving the gel on the UV box for 15-30 minutes, where the speckles will disappear before the SYBR stain photobleaches.

SYBR Safe DNA gel stain has two main excitation peaks: in the UV region at 280 nm, and in the visible region at 502 nm. Thus, 254 nm or 300 nm UV excitation will work, as will 488 nm lasers, 470 nm LEDs, and broad blue excitation (such as the Safe Imager 2.0 Blue-Light Transilluminator, Cat. No. G6600). Maximal excitation occurs at 502 nm; the Safe Imager 2.0 Blue-Light Transilluminator is therefore the best choice for excitation of SYBR Safe DNA gel stain. The full excitation and emission spectra for SYBR Safe DNA gel stain are provided online and can also be found in the protocol.

Some ethidium bromide filters allow the transmission of all light above 500 nm. These filters (which are often yellow in color) and their associated camera settings can be used with SYBR Safe DNA gel stain, usually with only minor adjustments to the exposure or gain. Other ethidium bromide filters (often red in color) only transmit light around or above 600 nm; these filters and their associated camera settings are not suitable for use with SYBR Safe DNA gel stain.

Stained gels can be photographed using Polaroid 667 black-and-white print film and SYBR Safe photographic filter (Cat. No. S37100). Invitrogen SYPRO photographic filter (Cat. No. S6656) or a Kodak Wratten #9 filter also work well. Table 5 in the SYBR Safe product manual lists a filter selection guide for different instruments.

Please see the SYBR Safe home page for a list of recommended filters and settings for several different gel documentation instruments. You can find it by searching "SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain" from the Thermo Fisher Scientific website home page.

If your system is not listed, please contact the instrument manufacturer for a recommendation. Note that the excitation and emission spectra of SYBR Safe gel stain are very similar to those of SYBR Green I, SYBR Green II, and SYBR Gold gel stains, as well as fluorescein (FITC). Therefore, filters appropriate for these dyes can also be used.

The SYBR Safe photographic filter (Cat. No. S37100) is a Wratten #9 gelatin filter. This filter is a 75 mm x 75 mm sheet of plastic that should be mounted in front of the lens of the camera. With a Polaroid camera and B&W film (#667), the filter may be taped inside the hood or mounted in a cassette and snapped in place inside the hood (the opening in which the camera lens is mounted upon).

For other camera systems, this sheet may be mounted in a cassette or filter-housing and placed in front of the camera lens. An alternative is to use thread-on glass filters of the same rating available from most camera supply vendors. Please note - not all camera systems require use of the SYBR Safe filter. See the SYBR Safe home page for a list of recommended filters and settings for several different instruments - you can find the page by searching "SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain" from theThermo Fisher Scientific website home page.

DNA bands stained with SYBR Safe stain may be visible by eye on a 300 nm transilluminator if there is a sufficient amount of DNA per band. However, optimal detection is obtained by photographing the gel using a Wratten #9 emission filter (or other filter with a similar rating) with your CCD or film camera. With UV transilluminators (light boxes), UV bulbs may also emit some infrared (IR) wavelengths; if your camera lens is not specially coated to block IR, an IR-blocking filter is needed to prevent the appearance of the UV bulbs under your gel.

Some institutions and municipalities have approved the disposal of SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain directly into their waste water systems and regular trash receptacles. However, disposal regulations vary; please contact your safety office or local municipality for disposal guidelines. For more information on environmental testing and safety standards for SYBR Safe stain, please visit our main SYBR Safe informational page, which you can find by searching "SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain" from the Thermo Fisher Scientific website home page.

Migration speed through gels is correlated to the compactness of the DNA molecule. Circular DNA can exist as a relaxed circle (if one of the strands is nicked), and this form migrates very slowly. If the DNA circle is supercoiled, it adopts a more compact form and will migrate much more quickly. If both strands of the DNA circle are cleaved and the molecule is linear, that form will also migrate more quickly than the relaxed circle, but not as quickly as the supercoiled circle.

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Pre-run is no longer necessary for any of our E-Gel agarose gels.

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E-Gel agarose gels are routinely used in-house in R&D and manufacturing for RNA analysis with excellent results. However, the gels are not guaranteed to be “RNAse-free”. The manufacturing process is designed to avoid contamination of any type, but not RNAses specifically.

If you do want to try it, any loading buffer that would be used for non-denaturing RNA electrophoresis should be fine for E-Gel agarose gels. Depending on your application, these gels may or may not be suitable for use.

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Do not run E-Gel agarose gels longer than 40 min for the single comb gels or longer than 20 min for the double comb gels as longer run times will cause ions to get depleted and will damage the gel. Do not run E-Gel 48 agarose gels longer than 30 min or E-Gel 96 agarose gels longer than 20 min.

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All E-Gel gels are labeled with expiration dates.

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Potential problems include:
- Loading too much DNA. Do not load more than the recommended amount.

- Samples with a high salt concentration. Samples containing > 50 mM NaCl, 100 mM KCl, 10 mM acetate ions, or 10 mM EDTA will cause loss of resolution.

- Samples may have been diluted in TAE instead of TE or water.

- Samples may have been pre-run; pre-running is not recommended for any of our E-Gel agarose gels.

- Sample was not properly loaded or had a very low volume of sample loaded. Load the recommended sample volume based on the gel type and loading method. For proper band separation, we recommend keeping sample volumes uniform.

- Bubbles may have been introduced while loading the samples. Bubbles will cause band distortion. Load deionized water or TE into any empty wells, and avoid introducing bubbles.

- A longer electrophoresis run time was used. Do not run the gel longer than the recommended time for each gel type. Longer run times cause an increase in the current, resulting in poor band migration or a melted gel. We recommend that you run single comb gels for 25-30 min (double comb gels 15-20 min) for straighter patterns. Do not run single comb gels longer than 40 minutes (20 minutes for double comb), or the gel will be damaged and resolution will be poor.

- Voltage or current too high. This should not be an issue with the E-Gel PowerBase power supply, which is pre-set with the proper conditions. However, researchers using the old E-Gel Base (the one that plugged into a separate power supply) should ensure that they run the gel at 60 to 70 volts (constant voltage) or 40-50 mA (constant current). Do not allow the current to exceed 60 mA.

- For E-Gel 96 Agarose Gels being run on an E-Base device, be sure you are running on the “EG” program rather than the “EP” program designed for E-PAGE gels.

- The gel was not electrophoresed immediately after sample loading (for best results, run gel within 1 min of loading).

- The gel may have been used beyond its expiration date. Check the expiration date.

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The agarose used in the 0.8%, 1.2% and 2% E-Gel agarose gels is molecular biology grade, with a normal melting point and less than 0.25% ash content. For the 4% E-Gel agarose gels, we use a special high-resolution agarose.

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The E-Gel agarose gel system uses TAE buffer.

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The dimensions of a single comb 12 well E-Gel agarose gel are as follows: The cassette itself is 8 cm by 10 cm and 0.6 cm thick. The workable gel area is 7.5 cm by 5.8 cm (from well to bottom). The thickness of the gel is estimated to be 0.4 cm. There are 12 wells and each well is 4 mm wide. The space between the wells is 1 mm.

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We do not recommend using the E-Gel Power Snap Electrophoresis Device to image pour-your-own gels.

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We do not recommend using the E-Gel Power Snap Electrophoresis Device to run pour-your-own gels.

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Yes, both the E-Gel GelCapture Acquisition Software and E-Gel GelQuant Express Analysis Software applications are compatible with Windows 10; however, the E-Gel GelQuant Express Analysis Software will require the purchase of an E-Gel Imager Quantitation USB dongle (Cat. No. 4466610):
https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/4466610

Please visit the following link (https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/dna-rna-purification-analysis/nucleic-acid-gel-electrophoresis/e-gel-electrophoresis-system/e-gel-imager-system/e-gel-software.html) and follow the instructions to download the software.
Note: Please make sure that you download the correct version of the E-Gel GelCapture Software based on the serial number of your instrument.

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Each program on the E-Gel Power Snap Electrophoresis Device is optimized to obtain the best possible results. The device does not offer user-adjustable voltage functionality.

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To select the DNA ladder that yields the best resolution for your specific E-Gel, please refer to the table on page 45 of the E-Gel Power Snap Electrophoresis System user guide (https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/LSG/manuals/MAN0017050_egel_powersnapsystem_UG.pdf).

Follow recommended DNA dilutions and leave the gel to cool down on the bench or for a few minutes in the fridge. Please check troubleshooting tips provided in the manual.

No. Standard safety and hazardous waste disposal procedures should be followed when handling E-Gel EX agarose gels.

E-Gel EX agarose gels separate DNA faster, offer enhanced sensitivity, and provide added flexibility. The stain within the E-Gel EX agarose gels is SYBR Gold II which has similar spectral properties but increased sensitivity compared to SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain. E-Gel EX agarose gels are especially suited for applications where high sensitivity is critical.

No. E-Gel agarose gels have enough buffering capacity for one run only. Performance will be impaired with multiple runs.