SYBR Green I (SG) is an asymmetrical cyanine dye used as a

nucleic acid Nucleic acids are biopolymers, macromolecules, essential to all known forms of life. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomers made of three components: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main ...

stain A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and phys ...

. The SYBR family of dyes is produced by Molecular Probes Inc., now owned by

Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is an American supplier of scientific instrumentation, reagents and consumables, and software services. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Fisher was formed through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Ther ...

. SYBR Green I binds to DNA. The resulting DNA-dye-complex best absorbs 497 nanometer blue light (λ_max = 497 nm) and emits green light (λ_max = 520 nm). The stain preferentially binds to double-stranded DNA, but will stain single-stranded (ss) DNA with lower performance. SYBR Green can also stain

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

with a lower performance than ssDNA. FluorescenceMicroscopeSample HerringSpermSYBRGreen

Uses

SYBR Green finds usage in several areas of

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology ...

and

. It is used as a dye for the quantification of double stranded DNA in some methods of

quantitative PCR A real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR, or qPCR) is a laboratory technique of molecular biology based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It monitors the amplification of a targeted DNA molecule during the PCR (i.e., in real ...

. It is also used to visualise DNA in

gel electrophoresis Gel electrophoresis is a method for separation and analysis of biomacromolecules ( DNA, RNA, proteins, etc.) and their fragments, based on their size and charge. It is used in clinical chemistry to separate proteins by charge or size (IEF ...

. Higher concentrations of SYBR Green can be used to stain

agarose gel Agarose gel electrophoresis is a method of gel electrophoresis used in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and clinical chemistry to separate a mixed population of macromolecules such as DNA or proteins in a matrix of agarose, one of the t ...

s in order to visualise the DNA present. In addition to labelling pure nucleic acids, SYBR Green can also be used for labelling of DNA within cells for

flow cytometry Flow cytometry (FC) is a technique used to detect and measure physical and chemical characteristics of a population of cells or particles. In this process, a sample containing cells or particles is suspended in a fluid and injected into the fl ...

and

fluorescence microscopy A fluorescence microscope is an optical microscope that uses fluorescence instead of, or in addition to, scattering, reflection, and attenuation or absorption, to study the properties of organic or inorganic substances. "Fluorescence micr ...

. In these cases

RNase Ribonuclease (commonly abbreviated RNase) is a type of nuclease that catalyzes the degradation of RNA into smaller components. Ribonucleases can be divided into endoribonucleases and exoribonucleases, and comprise several sub-classes within th ...

treatment may be required to reduce background from RNA in the cells.

Safety

SYBR Green I is marketed as a replacement for

ethidium bromide Ethidium bromide (or homidium bromide, chloride salt homidium chloride) is an intercalating agent commonly used as a fluorescent tag ( nucleic acid stain) in molecular biology laboratories for techniques such as agarose gel electrophoresis. I ...

, a potential human

mutagen In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer i ...

, as both safer to work with and free from the complex waste disposal issues of ethidium bromide. However any

small molecule Within the fields of molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm. Many drugs are ...

capable of binding DNA with high affinity is a possible

carcinogen A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive subst ...

, including SYBR Green. In a study using the Ames test, which measures the ability of chemicals to cause mutations, when assayed at the same concentration SYBR Green I was on the order of 30 times less mutagenic than ethidium bromide.

Similar cyanine dyes

* PicoGreen (PG) * SYBR Safe * SYBR Gold * Thiazole orange (TO) * Oxazole yellow (YO) * Safe-Green * Chai Green

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sybr Green I Staining dyes Cyanine dyes Benzothiazoles Quinolines Dimethylamino compounds Quaternary ammonium compounds

Uses

Safety

Similar cyanine dyes

See also

Notes and references