SYBR Green Dye SAMANTHA
SYBR Green Dye is a membrane permeable nucleic acid dye used in molecular biology labs. The green dye can be placed in a sample with possible DNA and will glow a bright green if DNA is present. This is the most common use of the dye and helps qualitatively analyze if DNA is present in a substance. Although the DNA used in our samples was double stranded DNA, the SYBR Green Dye can also be used to detect single stranded DNA because it has such a high affinity. Although it was placed in the samples after being in the PCR machine, it also can be placed inside a PCR mixture and this allows the dye to bind to the single stranded DNA before it is synthesized by the Taq Polymerase. However, the result is the same. Either way it binds to DNA and glows when DNA is present.
Single-Drop Fluorimeter
The Single-Drop Fluorimeter consists of a small, simple plastic box with a apparatus situated on the top where the multi-welled slide can fit in and align so that the blue LED shines through a drop placed over two middle wells.
How the Fluorescence Technique Works SAMANTHA [In your own words, a summary of the information from page 9 of the worksheet]
Procedure
Smart Phone Camera Settings
iPhone 4s
Flash: Off Mode
ISO setting: N/A
White Balance: N/A
Exposure: N/A
Saturation: N/A
Contrast: N/A
Calibration
The distance between the smart phone cradle and the drop is approximately 10 cm.
Solutions Used for Calibration
Calf Thymus DNA solution concentration (micro/mL)
Volume of the 2X DNA solution (μL)
Volume of the SYBR GREEN I Dye solution (μL)
Final DNA concentration in PicoGreen Assay (ng/mL)
5
80
80
2.5
2
80
80
1
1
80
80
0.5
0.5
80
80
0.25
0.25
80
80
0.125
0
80
80
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Placing Samples onto the Fluorimeter
Align the slide with the blue LED, so that the light passes in the middle of two rows of wells and reaches the middle of the opposite side.
Place 80 μL of SYBR GREEN in-between two wells.
Next, add 80 μL of DNA sample in the drop that is formed from step #2.
Cover this created sample from light in order to visualize the florescence.