Instructions for Use of Maximo-Gel juice

Prepare Fix Solution

The fix solution consists of 40% (v/v) ethanol* and 7% (v/v) acetic acid. Prepare the solution with distilled or deionized water that has been filtered. The quantity of fix solution required depends on the number of gels to be stained and the size of the gel as indicated in the table below. As a general guide, use an amount of fix solution equal to 10-15 times the volume of the gel.

* 40% ethanol can be replaced with 50% methanol, but methanol is not recommended in consideration of safety and stain performance.

Fix Gels

Remove the gel(s) from the gel cassette or plates. Place gel in a clean glass or plastic tray with the volume of fix solution indicated above. Cover the tray, place on a rocker or shaker and agitate gently.

For standard protocol, fix at room temperature for 60 minutes.

For quick fixing, microwave the fix solution with the gel to boil (~1.5 minutes for 100 ml of fixing solution; dependent on volume and microwave power), and then agitate gently at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Note: Either shortened or prolonged fix time may reduce sensitivity-

Prepare Working (1x) Stain Solution

Working (1x) stain solution is prepared by diluting one volume of Maximo-Gel juice with 100 volumes of distilled or deionized water that has been filtered. The quantity of stain solution required depends on the number of gels to be stained and the size of the gel as indicated in the table below. As a general guide, use an amount of working stain solution equal to 10 times the volume of the gel.

Working (1x) stain solution is recommended to be freshly prepared prior to its intended use.

Stain Gels:
Carefully pour off the fix solution and add Maximo-Gel juice (1x working solution) to the staining tray. Cover the tray, place on a rocker or shaker and agitate gently at room temperature. For standard protocol, stain for at least 45 minutes For rapid analysis, stain for 15-45 minute.

Generally, proteins (5 ng or below) might be detectable after 15 minutes of staining.

Gels may be left in the Maximo-Gel juice solution for extended periods, with care to limit light exposure. Stained gels may be stored for up to three months without significant loss of fluorescent signals. For long-term storage, gels should be placed in sealable plastic bags with 5–10 ml of stain solution and stored in the dark at 2–8 °C.

NOTE: Destaining is not necessary. However, it might be helpful to remove excess dye from the gel surface by quickly rinsing the gel with clean water. Staining intensity persists or even increases when the gel is stored in Maximo-Gel juice solution at 4 °C.

Gel Imaging

Gels stained with Maximo-Gel juice are visualized using UV light excitation. We recommend to adjust excitation/emission to around 330nm/570nm for best results. If the imaging equipment has no preprogrammed imaging function for Maximo-Gel juice, the imaging setting for SYPRO Ruby stain or Ethidium bromide that uses UV transillumination is recommended. Any imaging system using UV light excitation may be used to image Maximo-Gel juice.