SilverQuest™ Silver Staining Kit by Thermo Fisher Scientific

The SilverQuest™ Silver Staining Kit provides a rapid and easy method to silver stain proteins and DNA in polyacrylamide gels. Silver staining allows detection of most proteins since it is 30-fold more sensitive than staining with colloidal Coomassie® G-250. The SilverQuest™ Silver Staining Kit is specifically designed to provide sensitive silver staining compatible with mass spectrometry analysis.

Ideal for rapid preparation of samples for mass spectrometry
The mass spectrometry problems associated with traditional silver stains are mitigated with the SilverQuest™ Silver Staining Kit because the reagents used do not modify protein side chains and do not interfere with trypsin digestion. Typically, in less than 90 minutes, 0.3 ng of protein can be detected (see figure). For added speed, an optimized microwave procedure can typically be completed in 30 minutes without compromising sensitivity.

Mass spectrometry–compatible reagents
The SilverQuest™ Silver Staining Kit has been specifically designed to make protein detection compatible with mass spectrometry analysis. The SilverQuest™ reagent set contains a sensitizer that contains no glutaraldehyde or formaldehyde, so it leaves lysine and arginine side-chains unmodified. Additionally, the SilverQuest™ destaining solution effectively removes silver from protein bands in polyacrylamide gels. Peptides remain as efficient targets for in-gel trypsin digestion and gel extraction and yield better coverage during mass spectrometry analysis.

Features:

• High sensitivity—protein detection at sub-nanogram level
• Compatible—staining compatible with mass spectrometry analysis
• Rapid—protein bands can be visualized within an hour
• Easy to use—color-coded solutions for easy staining protocol