What is the cost of the new DNA dyes?
The purchase price of SYBR Gold and SYBR Green is significantly higher than that of EtBr. However, it is important to remember that, for example, SYBR Green is 5 -10 times more sensitive than EtBr and less mutagenic. Many people will consider these advantages sufficient to outweigh the additional cost. Because the new generation of DNA stains are generally 5 – 10 times more sensitive than EtBr, it is possible to load correspondingly less DNA molecular weight standards and PCR reactions. This can result in significant savings. For example, a typical mini-gel with 2 lanes of DNA standards costs a total of about $1.86 if stained with EtBr and $1.43 if stained with SYBR Gold. If the samples loaded onto the gel are PCR reaction products, the use of SYBR Gold can result in savings of over $10 compared with EtBr.
