4 staining tray and shaking rack assembly – Bio-Rad High-Throughput Dodeca™ Gel Stainers User Manual

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3.3.2

Prewet the staining tray with a small amount of distilled water to help prevent
the gel from sticking to the tray surface.

3.3.3

Use the gel clip to lift the gel off the glass plate and transfer it to the staining
tray.

Wet the gel clip and borders of the gel with distilled water to prevent
the gel from sticking to the gel clip.

Slide the lower edge of the gel clip under the gel. Position the gel clip
about 1.5 cm under the gel for complete contact with the high friction
grip of the upper edge of the gel clip.

Note: Gradient gels are weaker at the top of the gel since it is made of
lower %T. To prevent tearing, lift gels using the side or bottom edge.
When lifting the gel from the bottom it may be easiest to position the
bottom side of the gel away from you and grip the gel clip using two
hands and slide it towards you under the gel.

Lift the gel slowly off the glass plate and place onto the staining trays
as illustrated in Table 1B. Gel size and tray selection determine the
gel orientation.

Note: Orient the tray so the "UP" label is properly positioned prior to
transferring (see Table 1B).

Note: Gel orientation is important. During the staining process the gel
will swell in size and extra space should be available to accommodate
the expansion without constricting the gel. Gradient gels show
increased swelling from low to high %T. This results in a trapezoidal
shaped gel that can rotate and lodge in the tray if not positioned
correctly.

3.4 Staining Tray and Shaking Rack Assembly

3.4.1

Stack the staining trays in the same orientation, aligning the "UP" labels on
each tray. The staining trays can be positioned inside the shaking rack one
by one or as an entire stack of trays.

First stack the translucent trays
(up to 11) with gels.

Note: A minimum of four gels is
recommended when silver staining.

Then place the white development
tray with gel on top of the stack.

Finally, place the cover tray
(translucent tray without a gel) on
top of the white tray to prevent the
top gel from floating around.

Fig. 3.4.1A. Properly stacked staining
trays.

Cover Tray

White
Development Tray

Translucent Staining
Trays stacked
(11 are shown)