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Does ethidium bromide bind ssDNA?
Posted November 10, 2021
Answer
Yes, ethidium bromide binds to single-stranded DNA. However, the binding is not as strong as its binding to double-stranded DNA resulting in lesser distortions, which makes detection less efficient. When using single-stranded DNA, it requires around 10 times more nucleic acid for equivalent detection.
Additional resources
The binding of ethidium bromide with DNA: interaction with single- and double-stranded structures
Helixyte™ Green Fluorimetric ssDNA Quantitation Kit *Optimized for Microplate Readers*