Silver stain for proteins in polyacrylamide gels: A modified procedure with enhanced uniform sensitivity

Abstract

The rapid, ultrasensitive silver stains that have been developed recently for detecting proteins in polyacrylamide gels show variation in staining from gel to gel and do not stain certain proteins at all. It was found that treatment of gels with dithiothreitol prior to impregnation with silver nitrate results in more reproducible staining patterns that are also qualitatively similar to those obtained with Coomassie blue. In addition, it obviates the need for treatment with intense light, and results in sensitivities at least as high as those obtained with previously published methods. © 1981.