Loading dyes

The Thermo Scientific portfolio offers several loading dyes for your everyday electrophoresis needs. Loading dyes are used to prepare DNA markers and samples for loading on agarose or polyacrylamide gels. Ready-to-use (RTU) DNA ladders come prepackaged with a loading dye.

DNA loading dyes normally contain:

  • Glycerol, to help ensure that the sample easily sinks into the well
  • EDTA, which binds divalent metal ions that may interfere with electrophoresis. EDTA also stops metal-dependent enzymatic reactions such as DNA degradation by nucleases
  • Tracking dyes (bromophenol blue, xylene cyanol FF, or orange G), which help monitor the progress of electrophoresis by the migration of the dyes

 

GeneRuler DNA laddersMassRuler DNA laddersO’GeneRuler DNA laddersTriTrack DNA Loading Dye
6X DNA loading dye6X MassRuler DNA loading dye6X Orange DNA loading dyeAvailable separately, R1161
Two-color tracking of DNA migrationOne-color tracking of DNA migrationTwo-color tracking of DNA migrationThree-color tracking of DNA migration

DNA ladders prepared with various loading dye

Ordering information

Loading dyeDescriptionQuantityCat. No.
6X DNA Loading DyeTwo-color tracking of DNA migration during electrophoresis5 x 1 mLR0611
6X MassRuler DNA Loading DyeOne-color tracking of DNA migration during electrophoresis5 x 1 mLR0621
6X Orange DNA Loading DyeTwo-color tracking of DNA migration during electrophoresis5 x 1 mLR0631
6X DNA Loading Dye & SDS SolutionTwo-color tracking of DNA migration during electrophoresis5 x 1 mLR1151
6X TriTrack DNA Loading DyeThree-color tracking of DNA migration during electrophoresis5 x 1 mLR1161

Buffers for electrophoresis

We offer two Thermo Scientific buffers for electrophoresis: Tris-acetate-EDTA (TAE) and Tris-borate-EDTA (TBE).

  • TAE buffer is generally used for electrophoresis of longer nucleic acid fragments of >1 kb. It is compatible with enzymatic reactions and recommended for preparative gel electrophoresis.
  • TBE buffer is commonly used with small DNA fragments, as it provides better separation for sizes of <1 kb.

Which electrophoresis buffer is right for you?

Size of the DNAVoltageUse this buffer
< 1 kb5–10 V/cmTBE
1–5 kb4–10 V/cmTAE or TBE
> 5 kb1–3 V/cmTAE
Up to 10 kb, fast electrophoresis with Express DNA laddersUp to 23 V/cm TAE