Q. What is a Typhoon system?
A. The Typhoon 8600 system is a versatile multimode scanner with capabilities for storage phosphor, fluorescence, and chemiluminescence detection of gels. The instrument combines powerful laser excitation sources with efficient optics for sensitive fluorescent imaging. Emissions are recorded in an image file for quantitative analysis.
Q. Will the Typhoon system do ethidium bromide?
A. Yes. Molecular Dynamics do not currently provide sensitivity data for the Typhoon, however the Fluoroimager system is about 5 times more sensitive for ethidium bromide visualization than the traditional UV light box and Polaroid film setup. VISTRA Green, a DNA dye available fromAmersham Pharmacia Biotech, is used the same way as ethidium bromide and offers 100 times greater sensitivity than the traditional ethidium bromide method. See Molecular Dynamics' Application note 64 - Fluorescent DNA Gel Stain Detection for further information and a protocol.
Q. Will the Typhoon system do chemiluminescence?
A. Yes. For high-sensitivity DNA and protein detection on blots, Molecular Dynamics recommends chemifluorescence. Benefits include direct quantitation, no film exposures, and increasing signal strength for up to 12 hours. Chemifluorescent samples can be scanned up to two weeks following sample preparation with no significant loss in signal or resolution. Chemifluorescent reagent kits for Southern, northern and western blotting are available from Amersham Pharmacia Biotech. For more information and a thorough comparison of chemiluminescence and chemifluorescence, see Molecular Dynamics' publication "Understanding Chemifluorescence."
Q. What applications have been characterized for the Typhoon system?
A. Molecular Dynamics' publication "Fluorescence ImagingApplications Guide" has detailed applications information and protocols for DNA and protein detection on blots, gels, and microplates using the Fluoroimager system. Most of this is also applicable to the Typhoon.
