Lab Solution Recipes

10X PBS Stock

10X concentrated PBS stock solution, dilute 1:10 for working solution

1X PBS (Phosphate Buffered Saline)

Standard physiological buffer pH 7.4, isotonic for mammalian cells

Acetate Buffer pH 4.5

100 mM acetate buffer pH 4.5 for acidic pH applications

Carbonate-Bicarbonate Buffer pH 9.6

Carbonate coating buffer pH 9.6 for ELISA plate coating

DPBS (Dulbecco's Phosphate Buffered Saline)

PBS with calcium and magnesium for cell culture applications

PBST (PBS-Tween 20)

PBS with 0.1% Tween 20, standard wash buffer for ELISA and Western blot

Phosphate Buffer pH 7.4 (Sorensen's)

100 mM sodium phosphate buffer pH 7.4 (Sorensen's), commonly used as EM fixation buffer base

TBS (Tris-Buffered Saline)

Tris-buffered saline for immunohistochemistry and Western blot

TBST (TBS-Tween 20)

TBS with 0.1% Tween 20, standard Western blot wash buffer

Tris-HCl Buffer pH 7.4

General purpose Tris buffer at physiological pH, adjust with HCl

Tris-HCl Buffer pH 8.0

1M Tris-HCl stock buffer pH 8.0 for molecular biology applications

Hypotonic Lysis Buffer

Hypotonic buffer causes osmotic swelling for gentle cell lysis, used for nuclear extraction

NP-40 Lysis Buffer

Mild non-denaturing lysis buffer, preserves protein-protein interactions for co-IP

RIPA Buffer

Strong denaturing lysis buffer for total protein extraction, good for Western blot

Triton X-100 Lysis Buffer

Non-denaturing lysis buffer with Triton X-100, suitable for co-IP and enzyme assays

Urea Lysis Buffer

Chaotropic lysis buffer for membrane proteins and inclusion bodies

10X SDS-PAGE Running Buffer

10X concentrated SDS-PAGE running buffer stock

1X TAE Buffer

Standard agarose gel electrophoresis buffer for DNA, pH ~8.5

1X TBE Buffer

Alternative DNA electrophoresis buffer, better resolution for small fragments

2X Laemmli Sample Buffer

2X concentrated SDS-PAGE sample loading buffer with reducing agent

50X TAE Buffer Stock

50X concentrated TAE stock, dilute 1:50 for working solution

SDS-PAGE Resolving Gel Buffer

4X resolving gel buffer for SDS-PAGE

SDS-PAGE Running Buffer (Tris-Glycine-SDS)

Standard SDS-PAGE running buffer (1X), pH ~8.3 unadjusted

SDS-PAGE Stacking Gel Buffer

4X stacking gel buffer for SDS-PAGE

Western Blot Transfer Buffer (Towbin)

Standard wet transfer buffer for Western blotting, pH ~8.3

2xYT Medium

Double-strength yeast extract tryptone medium for high-yield phage/protein production

LB Agar

Solid LB medium for bacterial colony growth on plates

LB Medium (Luria-Bertani)

Standard bacterial growth medium for E. coli and other gram-negative bacteria

M9 Minimal Medium

Defined minimal medium for metabolic studies and auxotrophic selection

SOC Medium

Rich recovery medium for bacterial transformation, maximizes transformation efficiency

TB Medium (Terrific Broth)

High-density bacterial growth medium for protein expression

Ponceau S Staining Solution

Reversible protein stain for PVDF/nitrocellulose membranes, used to verify transfer efficiency

Western Blot Blocking Buffer (BSA)

5% BSA in TBST for Western blot membrane blocking, recommended for phospho-protein detection

Western Blot Blocking Buffer (Milk)

5% non-fat milk in TBST for Western blot blocking, do NOT use for phospho-protein detection

20X SSC Buffer

Standard hybridization and wash buffer for Southern/Northern blots

6X DNA Loading Dye

6X concentrated gel loading dye for agarose gel electrophoresis

TE Buffer

Standard DNA/RNA storage buffer

0.5 M EDTA pH 8.0

EDTA stock solution pH 8.0, requires NaOH to dissolve (EDTA insoluble below pH 8)

1 M DTT Solution

1M DTT stock, store aliquots at -20C, sensitive to oxidation

1 M HEPES Buffer pH 7.4

1M HEPES stock buffer for cell culture and biochemistry, filter sterilize

10% Ammonium Persulfate (APS)

Fresh 10% APS for SDS-PAGE gel polymerization, make fresh monthly

10% SDS Solution

10% w/v SDS stock solution, avoid excessive foaming during preparation

3 M Sodium Acetate pH 5.2

3M sodium acetate pH 5.2 for ethanol precipitation of nucleic acids

5 M NaCl Solution

5M NaCl stock solution for buffer preparation and protein precipitation

Ni-NTA Binding Buffer

Binding/wash buffer for His-tag protein purification with Ni-NTA resin

Ni-NTA Elution Buffer

Elution buffer for His-tag protein purification, high imidazole for competitive elution

HBSS (Hank's Balanced Salt Solution)

Balanced salt solution for cell washing, tissue transport, and dilution of cells

Normal Saline (0.9% NaCl)

Isotonic saline solution (154 mM NaCl), physiological osmolarity

Coomassie Brilliant Blue Staining Solution

Classic gel staining solution for total protein visualization

Coomassie Destaining Solution

Destaining solution to remove background Coomassie stain

4% Paraformaldehyde (PFA)

4% PFA in PBS fixative for cells and tissues. Prepare in fume hood - toxic fumes

FACS Buffer

PBS + 2% FBS + 0.1% sodium azide for flow cytometry antibody staining

RBC Lysis Buffer (ACK)

Ammonium-Chloride-Potassium lysis buffer for selective red blood cell lysis

ChIP Lysis Buffer

SDS lysis buffer for chromatin immunoprecipitation, followed by sonication

Antigen Retrieval Buffer (Citrate)

Heat-induced epitope retrieval buffer for IHC, microwave or pressure cooker method

CaCl2 Competent Cell Buffer

Buffer for chemical competent cell preparation and storage at -80C

Alkaline Lysis Solution I (P1)

Alkaline Lysis Solution II (P2)

Alkaline Lysis Solution III (P3)

Glycerol Stock Solution

HEPES-Buffered Saline (2X HBS)

IP Lysis Buffer