Thiazole Orange iodide | CAS 24147-36-2

Thiazole Orange iodide is a cationic thiazole orange fluorophore widely used as a nucleic-acid selective staining dye in fluorescence-based workflows. Its strong fluorescence response upon nucleic acid association makes it a common reagent for monitoring DNA/RNA content, electrophoresis visualization, and fluorescence readouts in molecular biology and analytical chemistry settings. The iodide salt form supports convenient handling for preparing staining solutions for microscopy, gel imaging, and plate-based assays.

1. Nucleic Acid Gel Staining

Thiazole Orange iodide is frequently used to visualize DNA and RNA in agarose or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis workflows. Researchers and core facilities employ it as a post-stain or co-stain to generate fluorescent bands for fragment sizing, sample integrity checks, and rapid qualitative assessment of nucleic-acid presence. Its nucleic-acid-associated fluorescence behavior supports routine gel documentation on standard fluorescence imaging systems used in molecular biology labs.

2. Fluorescence Microscopy DNA Staining

Thiazole Orange iodide is used in fluorescence microscopy workflows to stain nucleic acids in fixed samples and to visualize DNA-containing structures in cellular and biomolecular imaging studies. Molecular imaging researchers incorporate the dye into staining protocols when a bright nucleic-acid label is needed for confocal or widefield imaging, including studies where fluorescent nucleic-acid contrast is required for downstream image analysis. The dye's affinity-driven fluorescence response to nucleic acids helps define DNA-rich regions against the background of cellular components.

3. Plate-Based Nucleic Acid Quantification

Thiazole Orange iodide is applied in microplate fluorescence assays for nucleic-acid quantification and nucleic-acid normalization in assay development and routine lab measurements. Assay developers use it to monitor DNA/RNA concentration changes during workflows such as library preparation checks, extraction yield comparisons, and nucleic-acid compatibility screening for downstream enzymatic steps. Because the readout is based on fluorescence enhancement upon nucleic-acid association, it is commonly integrated into high-throughput measurement formats alongside standard plate readers.

4. Flow Cytometry Sample Analysis

Thiazole Orange iodide is used in flow cytometry and related fluorescence analysis workflows as a nucleic-acid staining reagent for assessing nucleic-acid content in heterogeneous samples. Researchers employ it when fluorescence intensity shifts correlate with relative DNA/RNA abundance, supporting gating strategies and sample characterization in cell biology and molecular diagnostics research settings. The dye's nucleic-acid-driven fluorescence response enables incorporation into multicolor panels where spectral separation from other fluorophores is managed through instrument configuration and compensation.