Kit for Beta-gal staining

[Pamela Norton]

In article <1995Sep13.134056.1 at mcvax2.d48.lilly.com>, jaboadt at lilly.com wrote:

> Kit For B-gal Staining:
> 
> Does anyone know of a commercially available kit to stain transfected
cells for
> B-gal expression?  I have plenty of protocols but a kit would certainly
make my
> life easier.  Please reply to jaboadt at lilly.com.  Thanks for your help.
> 
> Joyce Boadt

Joyce,

      I can't help myself. If you are refering to X-gal staining, how much
simpler can it get? The cells are fixed in formaldehyde diluted from 37%
stock solution, which is bought ready to go. The salts are prepared as a
stock solution, perfectly stable at room temp, the X-gal as a stock which
is stable at -20. Some protocols call for detergents in the stain, but
these are not necessary for staining cells. Perhaps your protocols are
overly complicated?

      Sorry if you are refering to some other type of detection, but X-gal
staining is simplicity itself and the procedure is quite robust. Heck, if
you just add X-gal to the medium the cells will slowly turn blue.
(Unfortunately, this kills them). I'm not automatically anti-kit, some of
them are real time savers, but I can't see this one.

         Rant done,

               Pam Norton

-- 
Pamela A. Norton, Ph.D.          Assistant Professor of Medicine
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA 19107           p_norton at lac.jci.tju.edu