Question About Ethidium Bromide flourescence

[Hallm_7]

Hey, I figured the MD/PhD section of this might be able to help with a question I had.

Whenever I have visualized DNA with Ethidium Bromide I just used whatever transilluminator was in the lab. Now I am in the process of buying a lamp for a new lab, and I don't know what wavelength is best because I just took it for granted. I've found the model I want and I'm trying to decide if a 254, 302, or 365 nm bulb is best. Does EtBr excite under all these wavelenghts? If so would you recommend going with the higher wavelenghts to cut down on damage to the DNA?

Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[xanthines]

All of those wavelengths will allow you to visualize double stranded nucleic acids. The 302 will excite the complex the most:

http://www.probes.com/servlets/spectra?fileid=1305dna

As far as minimizing damage... I would assume the longer wavelengths will decrease the damage, but I don't know if the sustained damage would be significantly lower. It also depends on the wattage of the source/bulb.

-X

Hey, I figured the MD/PhD section of this might be able to help with a question I had.

Whenever I have visualized DNA with Ethidium Bromide I just used whatever transilluminator was in the lab. Now I am in the process of buying a lamp for a new lab, and I don't know what wavelength is best because I just took it for granted. I've found the model I want and I'm trying to decide if a 254, 302, or 365 nm bulb is best. Does EtBr excite under all these wavelenghts? If so would you recommend going with the higher wavelenghts to cut down on damage to the DNA?

Thanks

 

[Hallm_7]

Thanks a lot for the help! That link was exactly what I was looking for!