O p e r a t i n g I n s t r u c t i o n s

Note Unless gel cracking is a recurring problem, prevent gels from becoming tacky by using 2% glycerol or less in the gel soaking solution.

Preparing the Gel for Drying

Listed below are recommended procedures to ensure optimum drying results for gels of different thicknesses and acrylamide concentrations. Thin gels (0.75 mm or less) are recommended for best results.

This drying method is not recommended for:

•Agarose gels, which are generally too thick.

•Polyacrylamide gels attached to GelBond® film.

Thin Gels (Gel thickness ≤0.75 mm—or—gel thickness >0.75 mm and acrylamide ≤10% T)

1.Fix and stain the gels according to your preferred protocol.

2.Final soak solution.

Coomassie Blue. The final destaining solution should consist of 7% acetic acid, 5% methanol, and 0.5–2% glycerol. (Glycerol maintains the flexibility of the gel, making it less likely to crack.) Equilibrate the gel in this solution for a minimum of 2 hours, but preferably overnight. After destaining, rinse the gel with distilled water for 1–2 minutes to remove excess acetic acid.

Silver stain. Add 0.5–2% glycerol to the final water rinse.

Fluorography. We recommend the fluorography agent Resolution®. (Follow the manufacturer's instructions.) Other fluorography agents include EN3HANCE® and sodium salicylate. For these, add 0.5–2% glycerol to the final cold water precipitation step.

3.Load the gel onto the drying frame as described on page 8.

Thick Gels (Gel thickness >0.75 mm and acrylamide >10% T)

1.Fix, stain and destain the gel according to your preferred protocol. Use a final destaining solution of 7% acetic acid and 5% methanol.

2.Final soak solution.

Coomassie Blue. After the final destain, soak the gel in a solution of 35% ethanol and 0.5–2% glycerol for 1–2 hours. (Ethanol dehydrates the gel, which minimizes cracking during drying. Do not place the gel in the ethanol solution longer than 2 hours, as ethanol will begin destaining the gel.)

Silver stain. Add 0.5–2% glycerol to the final water rinse.

NOTE If you soak gels in a solution of ethanol and glycerol, such as the preserve solution in the PlusOne Protein Silver Staining Kit sold by GE Healthcare, you can dry the gels after a 2-hour soak.

Fluorography. We recommend the fluorographic agent Resolution. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions with the following exception: for the final water soak, use a 35% ethanol and 2% glycerol cold water soak instead. Other fluorography

Hoefer SE 1200 Easy Breeze Air Gel Dryer

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