Considerations. The LiCor is an excellent choice if you have good antibodies and are interested in comparative protein levels (why stop at transcriptional read-outs?). Antibody-based detection can also be combined with a DNA dye in the far-red range.

Specifications. The LiCor Aerius supports measurements in the infrared range:

• 685 nm diode laser
• 785 nm diode laser

The two channels allow for measurement of two proteins of interest, a protein of interest and DNA, or a protein of interest and a cell normalization marker.

Software. The LiCor Aerius software supports multiple types of analysis and customized reports.

Related Reagents. Here are some links to get you started finding information about antibodies and dyes in the far-red range (please note that we have not evaluated these sources or materials).

Li-Cor IRDye secondary antibodies

Molecular Probes at Invitrogen (Alexa fluors)

Useful Link. Spectral Viewer (plot and compare spectra for fluorescence detection)

Data Storage. A flash drive should be sufficient for data storage.

Plate Type
Black, clear bottom 384-well plates (Corning 3712)

Note: plate types are listed for your reference (we recommend using the same choose the same or a similar plate type for optimization experiments). We supply plates for screening (dsRNAs are supplied in the assay plate type you required).

Expert Tip1. Use of the LiCor Aerius will typically involve detection of one or two specific proteins with an antibody (or one antibody and a DNA or other fluorescent dye). Success of the screen can depend heavily on having good primary and secondary antibodies. An effort should be made not to switch batches or lots during the screen, as this can introduce unwanted variability. Moreover, non-specific/background signal should not account for more than 10% of the signal (on an immunoblot, non-speciific signal can be ignored as bands that migrate differently, but that's not true for whole cell staining).

Expert Tip2. The input for the LiCor—namely, fixed cells treated with one or two primary antibodies and fluorescent secondary antibodies, with or without a fluorescent DNA dye—is also appropriate input for fluorescence microscopy. Thus, it is possible to screen the same plates using the LiCor and using a high-throughput fluorescence microscope, provided the plates are compatible.