Lepidine Orange derivative as a new dye for sensitive fluorescent detection of DNA

The aim. To study new cyanine dye LO-7 as a reagent for dsDNA visualization in electrophoretic gels. Methods. Gel electrophoresis, restriction, fluorescence detection, mobility shift assay. Results. LO-7 binds to DNA to form stable highly fluorescent complexes. As little as 80 pg DNA can be detected in LO-7-stained agarose gel using a laser scanner, and 0.3 ng with UV-transilluminator. This sensitivity is several times higher than can be achieved with ethidium bromide, and close to that of SYBR Green I. Conclusions. LO-7 belongs to the most efficient stains for dsDNA visualization and thus can be used in bioanalytical applications where high sensitivity is required.