Biomaterial Database

The use of DAPI as a replacement for ethidium bromide in forensic DNA analysis. 1995

E Buel, and M Schwartz

Vermont Department of Public Safety, Crime Laboratory, Waterbury, USA.

Ethidium bromide is used extensively for the visualization of DNA in forensic applications. This is usually accomplished by the addition of dye to the gel and buffer before electrophoresis or by staining the gel after the run. In both procedures considerable ethidium bromide containing buffer is generated that must be decontaminated. We demonstrate that another fluorescent DNA binding dye, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI), can be used in place of ethidium bromide for yield and restriction gels, and to stain the visual marker of analytical gels. A low concentration of DAPI is added directly to the DNA. Most of the stain is immediately bound to the DNA and remains bound during electrophoresis.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007211	Indoles	Benzopyrroles with the nitrogen at the number one carbon adjacent to the benzyl portion, in contrast to ISOINDOLES which have the nitrogen away from the six-membered ring.
D012150	Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length	Variation occurring within a species in the presence or length of DNA fragment generated by a specific endonuclease at a specific site in the genome. Such variations are generated by mutations that create or abolish recognition sites for these enzymes or change the length of the fragment.	RFLP,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism,RFLPs,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D004996	Ethidium	A trypanocidal agent and possible antiviral agent that is widely used in experimental cell biology and biochemistry. Ethidium has several experimentally useful properties including binding to nucleic acids, noncompetitive inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and fluorescence among others. It is most commonly used as the bromide.	Ethidium Bromide,Homidium Bromide,Novidium,Bromide, Ethidium,Bromide, Homidium
D005456	Fluorescent Dyes	Chemicals that emit light after excitation by light. The wave length of the emitted light is usually longer than that of the incident light. Fluorochromes are substances that cause fluorescence in other substances, i.e., dyes used to mark or label other compounds with fluorescent tags.	Flourescent Agent,Fluorescent Dye,Fluorescent Probe,Fluorescent Probes,Fluorochrome,Fluorochromes,Fluorogenic Substrates,Fluorescence Agents,Fluorescent Agents,Fluorogenic Substrate,Agents, Fluorescence,Agents, Fluorescent,Dyes, Fluorescent,Probes, Fluorescent,Substrates, Fluorogenic
D005554	Forensic Medicine	The application of medical knowledge to questions of law.	Legal Medicine,Medicine, Forensic,Medicine, Legal
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man