How sensitive is the Dark Reader Transilluminator for DNA detection?
With SYBR Green, SYBR Gold and GelStar the detection limit, by eye, is 50 -100 pg of dsDNA. For ethidium bromide (EtBr) it is about 5 ng. On Polaroid film, for SYBR Gold, SYBR Green and GelStar, the detection is 25 – 50 pg. The ethidium detection limit on Polaroid film is around 650 pg using our AF-09 camera filter – about twice as good as without the filter. With a CCD camera system it is possible to detect 10 – 20 pg of SYBR- or GelStar-stained dsDNA. Ethidium detectability is about the same as with Polaroid film. The new SYBR dye – SYBR Safe – is less sensitive than Green and Gold. It is possible to detect about 1 ng by eye and 500 pg using a CCD camera.
