Fluorescent labeling of DNA with ethidium homodimer without measurable decrease in DNA mobility: application to automated gel electrophoresis apparatus.

Abstract

Mobilities of DNA, fluorescently labeled with ethidium homodimer (EtD), and normalized to the mobility of the 50-bp fragment [Rf(50)], are constant with time of electrophoresis, permitting one to conduct studies on DNA mobility in an automated electrophoresis apparatus with fluorescence detection. DNA mobility decreases with an increasing binding density of ethidium homodimer, as previously reported by others and expected since the dye decreases both the net charge and the conformational flexibility of the DNA. However, it was found that this effect of ethidium binding on electrophoretic mobility becomes undetectable at binding densities less than 1 EtD/40 bp. This implies that for the purposes of electrophoretic analysis in an apparatus with fluorescence detector, DNA with ethidium homodimer intercalated at dye-DNA ratios less than 1/40 bp behaves like unlabeled DNA and may be assumed to be in a conformation similar to that of the unliganded DNA. Necessarily, the low labeling ratio lowers the sensitivity of detection and, in particular, increases the load requirement for a full-scale band height required for the analysis of bandwidth and band shape during electrophoresis.