A novel approach to imaging and visualization of minute amounts of DNA in small volume samples

Luca Ceresa, Emma Kitchner, Michael Seung, Magdalena M. Bus, Bruce Budowle, Jose Chavez, Ignacy Gryczynski, Zygmunt Gryczynski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This report presents a novel approach for detecting and visualizing small to trace amounts of DNA in a sample. By utilizing both the change in emission spectrum and change in fluorescence lifetime, there is a significant increase in detection sensitivity allowing for the imaging/visualizing of a picograms amount of DNA in a microliters volume. As in the previous reports, one of the oldest DNA intercalators, Ethidium Bromide (EtBr), is employed as a model system. With this new approach, it is feasible to visualize just a few hundred picograms of DNA without the need for prior DNA amplification. The sensitivity can later be largely improved by using an intercalator that exhibits a higher affinity to DNA and a larger fluorescence change upon binding to DNA (e.g., ethidium homodimer, YOYO, or Diamond nucleic acid dyes).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6520-6527
Number of pages8
JournalAnalyst
Volume146
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - 7 Nov 2021

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