Q.In which techniques Ethidium Bromide is used ?

Ethidium bromide is the intercalating dye used to stain and visualise DNA bands during Agarose Gel Electrophoresis.

Working

In Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, DNA fragments (which are negatively charged due to their phosphate backbone) are loaded into wells of an agarose gel and separated by size when an electric current is applied, with smaller fragments migrating faster through the gel matrix than larger ones. Because DNA itself is colourless and cannot be seen directly, the gel is stained with Ethidium bromide, a dye that intercalates (inserts itself) between the stacked base pairs of the DNA double helix. When exposed to UV light, ethidium-bromide-bound DNA fluoresces bright orange, allowing the separated bands to be visualised and photographed. Ethidium bromide is no …