SYBR Safe is a
cyanine dye used as a
nucleic acid
Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are crucial in all cells and viruses. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomer components: a pentose, 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main classes of nuclei ...
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 ...
in
molecular biology
Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...
. SYBR Safe is one of a number of SYBR dyes made by the Life Technologies Corporation. SYBR Safe binds to
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
. The resulting DNA-dye-complex absorbs blue light (λ
max = 509 nm) and emits green light (λ
max = 524 nm).
A comprehensive study of Thiazole-Orange-Based DNA Dyes was published, involving SYBR Safe, SYBR Green, PicoGreen, SYTO-16, SYTO-9 and a new derivative TOPhBu. Here, the synthesis of these compounds are published and characterised spectroscopically to quantify their fluorescence enhancement upon binding to double-stranded DNA. The ability of the dyes to detect DNA at low concentrations was evaluated using two new metrics, absolute fluorescence enhancement (AFE) and relativefluorescence enhancement (RFE). They were tested in qPCR experiments showing some important differences in the sensitivity and qPCR efficiency, which facilitates the DNA marker selection for analytical purposes.
Safety
SYBR Safe is marketed as a safer alternative to
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. It ...
.
SYBR Safe has a very similar structure to thiazole orange, which has a methyl group attached to the charged nitrogen, whereas SYBR Safe has an ''N''-propyl group. Thiazole Orange has been shown to be three to four times less mutagenic than ethidium bromide whereas SYBR Safe is four to five times less mutagenic.
Additionally, according to the Life Technologies website, SYBR Safe is not lethal in rats at doses as high as 5 g/kg, and rats don't show symptoms of acute toxicity. Thiazole orange does show toxicity at this dose.
Similar cyanine dyes
* TO (Thiazole Orange)
*
SYBR Green I
SYBR Green I (SG) is an asymmetrical cyanine dye used as a nucleic acid staining, stain in molecular biology. The SYBR family of dyes is produced by Molecular Probes Inc., now owned by Thermo Fisher Scientific. SYBR Green I binds to DNA. The resu ...
* SYBR Green II
*
SYBR Gold
* YO (Oxazole Yellow)
* PG (PicoGreen)
See also
*
GelGreen - competing product with a different molecular structure and size
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sybr Green I
Staining dyes
Cyanine dyes
Benzothiazoles
Quinolines