Thiazole orange is a dye that becomes fluorescent in the presence of DNA and was initially identified in 1986. It is also the parent compound of a commercially successful DNA detection reagent. We show that thiazole orange itself can be used as an alternative to ethidium bromide in gel electrophoresis experiments, with similar detection limits (1-2 ng/lane). This has two major benefits. First, it removes ethidium bromide from the lab. This compound is commonly used to detect DNA despite its designation as a mutagen and associated safety, shipping, and disposal challenges. Second, thiazole orange can be detected with non-damaging blue light. Ethidium bromide must be detected with UV light, which is always harmful to DNA samples (we show DNA damage after 1 s of exposure) and also requires careful safety procedures to protect the user. Switching away from UV light is thus safer and also increases the success of downstream experiments such as ligation and transformation. Importantly, thiazole orange is inexpensive, making it a viable replacement for expensive, alternative electrophoresis dyes.<br/>

Use of thiazole orange as an inexpensive, safer alternative to ethidium bromide in DNA gel electrophoresis

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.