Gold Enhancement

Updated: January 1, 2008 Contents Introduction to Gold Enhancement Why GOLD? Features and Applications: GoldEnhance EM Features and Applications: GoldEnhance LM Current price list New Size and Pricing Effective January 1, 2008, GoldEnhance LM/Blot has been repackaged at a new, more economical price. We now offer 60 mL total, enough for 600 slides (100 microliters/slide), for a price of $165. Introduction Silver enhancement has long been used by microscopists to better visualize gold labeling, especially when using small gold particles. Silver is specifically deposited around the gold particle, growing it in size. For TEM, the 1.4 nm Nanogold® can be enlarged to 10-20 nm for clear visiblility, even at low magnifications. Using an initial small gold immunoprobe allows better penetration into tissues (up to 40 microns!) and better labeling of antigens. Then silver enhancement makes everything clearly visible. The development time can be extended to deposit more silver and make the signal visible by bright field (or reflection) light microscopy. With a little more development time, the signal can be seen by the naked eye, and can be used with dot blots or Westerns.

Nanoprobes has now extended this technology by introducing a GOLD developer, "GoldEnhance". It works similarly to silver enhancement, but deposits gold around the initial gold particle instead of silver (Fig. 1).

Why GOLD?

may safely be used before osmium tetroxide staining (silver is dissolved by the oxidizing agent O4; gold is stable) lower backgrounds than silver in some cases; autonucleation minimal even after 1-2 hours for SEM, gold gives a much better backscatter signal than silver compatible with physiological buffers (silver precipitates with chloride ion, as in PBS buffer; gold does not) reaction is less pH senstitive than silver, and GoldEnhance is near neutral for best structural preservation of biological samples (many silver enhancers have a pH of 3-4) excellent shelf life low viscosity for easy and accurate mixing of components In beta testing, several labs have obtained superb results, which improve on those obtained with silver enhancement both at the light and electron microscope level.

How it works.

Features and Applications of GoldEnhance EM

• Higher density of enlarged particles for clearer imaging.
• Resistant to osmium tetroxide etching: may safely be used before osmium tetroxide staining with no need for gold toning or other protective treatments (silver is dissolved by the oxidizing agent OsO₄; gold is stable).
• for SEM, gold gives a much better backscatter signal than silver.

Instructions and technical information (html)
  Instructions (PDF)
  Material Safety Data Sheet (PDF)

Features and Applications of GoldEnhance LM

• Autonucleation is minimal even after 1-2 hours - more convenient for multiple samples, or if sample access is restricted (e.g. automated processing).
• Much faster than chemiluminescence.
• Observe with brightfield optics - simpler and less expensive than fluorescence.
• Permanent staining: does not fade.

Instructions and technical information (html)
  Instructions (PDF)
  Material Safety Data Sheet (PDF)

Comparison with enzymatic detection: Light micrographs of formalin-fixed serial sections of cervical carcinoma, in situ hybridized for HPV-16/18 using a biotinylated probe (Pathogene-HPV kit, Enzo) (bar=10 micrometers) (1) direct detection using streptavidin-peroxidase-DAB; (2) Direct detection using Nanogold®-streptavidin followed by development with GOLDENHANCE (Micrographs courtesy of Prof. G. W. Hacker. Medical Research Coordination Center, University of Salzburg, Austria).

See Our 1999 paper on Gold-Based Autometallography.
Technical Help: Gold Enhancement
Complete References for Gold Enhancement
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Price List: GoldEnhance

2112 GOLDENHANCE LM (GELM): ($165)
Initiator/Moderator/Activator/Buffer
15 mL of each
Gold developer formulated for use with light microscopy samples. Comes in four solutions, to be mixed just before use. 60 mL total, enough for 600 slides (100 microliters/slide).

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