Bio-Rad High-Throughput Dodeca™ Gel Stainers - Manual (Page 17)

Section 5
Stain Solution Compatibility and Protocols
The Dodeca stainers are compatible with Bio-Safe colloidal G-250 Coomassie
Blue stain, Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 stain, SYPRO Ruby protein gel stain,
and the NEW mass spectroscopy compatible Dodeca Silver Stain kit.
The Dodeca stainers are compatible with Bio-Rad's Dodeca Silver Stain kit and
the original Silver Stain kit (catalog #161-0443, based on Merril's protocol). However,
the Dodeca Silver Stain kit is recommended over the original Silver Stain kit because
it has been optimized to reduce background when used with the Dodeca stainers. In
addition, the volume of the Dodeca Silver Stain kit was designed to better accommodate
the throughput capacity of the Dodeca stainers. A minimum of four gels is recommended
when silver staining using the Dodeca stainers.
Important: The Dodeca stainers are NOT compatible with the Bio-Rad Silver
Stain Plus kit chemistry (catalog #161-0449).
Note: It is recommended to have dedicated instruments for fluorescent and
Coomassie based processes to prevent cross contamination. Residual Coomassie
stain in the system quenches the fluorescent signal causing weak or no detection.
Table 5 A. Solution Volume Calculations *
Dodeca Stainer and Volume calculations for
Staining tray sizes using less than 12 trays Volume for 12 trays
Small (500 ml x No. of trays) + 1L 7L
Large (750 ml x No. of trays) + 1.5L 10L
Sample calculations:
If you are staining 8 gels (on 8 trays) in the small Dodeca stainer, the total solution
volume would be calculated as follows: (500 ml x 8) + 1L = 5 liters
If you are staining 5 gels (on 5 trays) in the large Dodeca stainer, the total solution
volume would be calculated as follows: (750 ml x 5) + 1.5L = 5.25 liters
* The cover tray is not counted when calculating working solution volumes.
Below are brief protocols. Please see the individual stain instruction manuals for
detailed protocols and staining component descriptions.
5.1 Bio-Safe Colloidal Coomassie Stain
No. of
Step Solution(s) Time Cycles
1. Fix 40% Methanol 30 minutes–overnight 1
10% Acetic acid
2. Stain Bio-Safe 1 hour–overnight 1
3. Destain H
2
O 30 minutes 2 or 3
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