DNA Gel Electrophoresis Stains

AAT Bioquest offers a comprehensive portfolio of DNA gel electrophoresis stains for visualizing nucleic acids in agarose and polyacrylamide gels. Our selection includes the premium Gelite™ Safe line (non-mutagenic ethidium bromide alternatives), Helixyte™ dyes (SYBR replacement), ultra-high affinity cyanine dimers, and ready-to-use DNA ladders.

I Need To...	Recommended Product	Key Feature
Replace ethidium bromide safely	Gelite™ Safe DNA Gel Stain	Non-mutagenic, same emission filter
Use SYBR Green equivalent at lower cost	Helixyte™ Green	Identical chemistry, high sensitivity
Detect DNA and RNA equally	Helixyte™ Gold	Universal nucleic acid detection
Use ultra-high affinity stain	DiYO™-1, DiTO™-1	Bis-intercalation, YOYO/TOTO equivalent
Size DNA fragments	Gelite™ DNA Ladders	50 bp to 10 kb options

Gelite™ Safe DNA Stains

Gelite™ Safe DNA Gel Stains are non-mutagenic alternatives to ethidium bromide, verified safe by the Ames test. These stains provide sensitive DNA detection while using standard EtBr filter sets, allowing direct replacement in existing workflows without equipment changes.

Non-mutagenic and safe for routine laboratory use
Compatible with standard ethidium bromide filter sets
High sensitivity comparable to or exceeding ethidium bromide
Available in multiple formats: 10,000X stock, gel stain, and precast gel stain
Can be used for pre-staining, post-staining, or direct gel casting

For additional information, please click here.

Gelite™ Nucleic Acid Gel Staining Kits

For researchers who prefer complete, ready-to-use staining solutions, Gelite™ Nucleic Acid Gel Staining Kits provide all necessary components for optimal gel staining results. These kits offer high sensitivity with green or orange fluorescence emission.

SYBR Stains

Helixyte™ Green and Helixyte™ Gold are high-performance equivalents to SYBR Green and SYBR Gold dyes, respectively. These cyanine-based nucleic acid stains deliver exceptional sensitivity for gel electrophoresis, with Helixyte™ Green optimized for dsDNA and Helixyte™ Gold providing universal detection of DNA, RNA, and oligonucleotides.

Helixyte™ Green: SYBR Green I equivalent for dsDNA detection (Ex/Em ~498/522 nm)
Helixyte™ Gold: SYBR Gold equivalent for universal nucleic acid staining (Ex/Em ~496/539 nm)
Up to 1000-fold fluorescence enhancement upon DNA binding
Low background fluorescence for excellent signal-to-noise ratios
Compatible with standard blue-light transilluminators and gel documentation systems

For additional information, please click here.

Cyanine Dimer Stains

Cyanine dimer nucleic acid stains (DiTO™, DiYO™, DiPO™ series) provide ultra-high affinity DNA binding through bis-intercalation. These dimeric dyes are chemically equivalent to OTO™, YOYO™, and POPO™ (ThermoFisher trademarks) and exhibit exceptional signal-to-background ratios for gel staining and single-molecule imaging.

DNA Ladders

DNA ladders are essential molecular weight standards for sizing nucleic acids during gel electrophoresis. Gelite™ DNA ladders provide consistent band intensities for accurate sizing, while ReadiUse™ ladders come pre-mixed with loading dye for immediate use.

This document (01.0301.251203r1) was last updated on Sat Feb 28 2026. All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.