PMA (propidium monoazide) is a photo-reactive DNA-binding dye used in the viability PCR (V-PCR) of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. PMA is available as a 1 mg lyophilized solid or 20 mM solution in water. Also try PMAxx (40069), a better alternative to PMA.
Selectively detect viable cells using qPCR
Validated in hundreds of publications
Dead cell-specific dye, binds to DNA
Covalently attaches to DNA after photoactivation
Available as 1 mg lyophilized solid or 20 mM solution in water
To learn more about the advantages of determining microbial or cell viability using viability PCR, visit the Viability PCR Technology Page.
Product
Catalog Number
Unit Size
Format
PMA Dye
40013
1 mg
Lyophilized solid
PMA Dye, 20 mM in H2O
40019
100 uL (20 mM in water)
Solution
pma cell dna
About PMA
PMA dye is a DNA modifier invented by Biotium scientists. It is a photo-reactive dye that binds to DNA with high affinity. Upon photolysis with visible light, the PMA dye covalently binds to DNA. This modified DNA cannot be amplified by PCR. The dye is designed to be cell membrane-impermeable. Thus, in populations of living and dead cells, only dead cells are susceptible to DNA modification due to compromised cell membranes. This unique feature of PMA dye makes it highly useful in the selective detection of live bacteria by qPCR.
Since Biotium first developed the PMA dye, there have been hundreds of publications on the use of the dye in multiple sample types, including dozens of bacterial strains, biofilms, yeasts, fungi, viruses, and eukaryotic cells. It has been used in applications such as food and water safety and environmental testing, and has been used in combination with qPCR, NextGen Sequencing (NGS), Sanger sequencing, and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP).
PMAxx technology is covered by approved and/or pending US and international patents.
PMA
Summary
Propidium monoazide (PMA) is a highly selective dye that penetrates only membrane-compromised, dead microbial cells and inhibits both DNA extraction and amplification. PMA has been widely used for discrimination between living and dead microbial cells; However, the application of PMA in phytoplankton studies has been limited. In this study, we attempted to evaluate its applicability for the differentiation of viable phytoplankton. We tested PMA on seven phytoplankton species, Microcystis aeruginosa, Anabaena sp., Aphanizomenon sp., Synechocystis sp., Cryptomonas ovata, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Nitzschia apiculata. The major phytoplankton taxa Cyanobacteria (the first four species, Cryptophyta, and Bacillus chlorophyta), Chlorophyta, and Cryptomonas ovata. respectively as representative. Our results showed that the application of PMA to freshwater living phytoplankton has the potential to distinguish viable from dead cells as in microbial studies. Notably, PMA differentiated viable from dead cells in cyanobacterial species rather than other phytoplankton taxa under our experimental conditions. However, our results also showed that it may be necessary to accommodate different conditions affecting PMA treatment efficiency in order to expand its applicability to other phytoplankton. Although not all factors contributing to the effects of PMA could be evaluated, our study showed the applicability of PMA-based molecular approaches, which can be convenient quantitative methods to distinguish living from dead phytoplankton in freshwater ecosystems. Huh. Determining optimal treatment conditions for other phytoplankton species may enhance the efficacy of PMA-based molecular approaches.
Description: The substance PMA is a pkc kinase activator. It is synthetically produced and has a purity of ?99%. The pure substance is colorless amorphous film or foam which is soluble in DMSO (25 mg/ml), 100% ethanol (25 mg/ml), acetone, ether or dimethyl formamide; almost insoluble in aqueous buffers.
Description: The substance PMA is a pkc kinase activator. It is synthetically produced and has a purity of ?99%. The pure substance is colorless amorphous film or foam which is soluble in DMSO (25 mg/ml), 100% ethanol (25 mg/ml), acetone, ether or dimethyl formamide; almost insoluble in aqueous buffers.
