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6400457 
Journal Article 
GEL-LOADING DYES COMPATIBLE WITH PCR 
Morris, SJ; Rossner, SSD; Hall, WDWD 
1992 
Yes 
BioTechniques
ISSN: 0736-6205 
12 
5 
679-680 
English 
WOS:A1992HT69600012 
In order to eliminate the extra pipetting steps required to prepare a PCR sample for gel analysis, we have investigated colorful loading buffers that can be included directly in PCR. Surprisingly, many dyes, including the traditional DNA loading dyes bromophenol blue and xylene cyanol, completely inhibit PCR, even at low concentrations. Here we describe dyes that we have found to be compatible with PCR. Either bromophenol blue or xylene cyanol alone inhibits the reaction at concentrations well below those normally used for gel loading. Two dyes that we have found to be compatible with PCR are shown. Tartrazine (FD&C yellow No. 5) inhibited the reaction at approximately 1500 mg/ml. Yellow food coloring from the supermarket, is also PCR-compatible, up to a dilution in the final reaction of approximately 1:160. This food coloring consists primarily of yellow No. 5 with a small amount of red dye that separates out on electrophoresis. We could not add enough cresol red to inhibit the formation of PCR products because of its limited solubility. We tried other dyes with PCR, but they are not useful. Based on the results, we routinely include 2 mu l of 60% sucrose/1 mM cresol red in a 10- mu l reaction and color our templates by adding 1-2 mu l Schilling yellow food color per 100 mu l of diluted cDNA. 
compatibility; cresol red; polymerase chain reaction; tartrazine; Biotechnology and Bioengineering Abstracts; Agricultural and Environmental Biotechnology Abstracts; food dyes; W 30965:Miscellaneous, Reviews; W2 32250:Others