SILVER STAINING OF DNA IN POLYACRYLAMIDE GELS

Nucleic acids can be detected at the picogram level using a quick and simple silver staining method (1). Using very thin polyester-backed po lyacrylamide gels, a further simplified protocol was compared to other widely used silver staining procedures. The improved protocol describ ed here was the most sensitive, the fastest to perform, and had relati vely few steps and reagents. This method also produced the least numbe r of staining artifacts and offered images of high contrast.