The Comet assay (single cell gel electrophoresis) is a sensitive technique for the detection of single- and double-strand breaks and alkaline-labile sites in nuclear DNA of individual cells. The Comet assay has the added advantage of detecting apoptotic/necrotic cells, which can be clearly distinguished from viable cells exhibiting DNA strand breaks.
Our targets through this blog are,
1. Integrating the knowledge of comet assay.
2. Documentation of ongoing research work based on comet assay conducted by us.
3. Sharing the knowledge & experience gained through our research.
4. Convenient easy access to information on the procedure and the results.
5. Free accessibility to information comparative to other sources.
6. To enhance awareness & talent on subject & the updation of new development of assay.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Introduction


The Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis assay (also known as comet assay) is an uncomplicated and sensitive technique for the detection of DNA damage at the level of the individual eukaryotic cell. It was first described by Singh et al. in 1988. It has since gained in popularity as a standard technique for evaluation of DNA damage/repair, biomonitoring and genotoxicity testing. It involves the encapsulation of cells in a low-melting-point agarose suspension, lysis of the cells in neutral or alkaline (pH>13) conditions, and electrophoresis of the suspended lysed cells. This is followed by visual analysis with staining of DNA and calculating fluorescence to determine the extent of DNA damage. This can be performed by manual scoring or automatically by an imaging software.
From Wikipedia.
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