Klebba Lab
Rules and Regulations
July 2004
Golden Rules
• If you open it, CLOSE IT
• If you turn it on, TURN IT OFF
• If you break it, REPORT THE BREAKAGE TO
MARJ, PHIL OR SALLY
• If you borrow it, RETURN IT
• If you make a mess, CLEAN IT UP
• If you move it, PUT IT BACK
• If you use it all, DO NOT REPLACE empty
containers: INFORM MARJ
• WEAR SAFETY GLASSES WHENEVER
NECESSARY
• REDUCE GLOVE USAGE WHEN POSSIBLE
Cleaning & disposal
• Sink area: only materials to be washed;
not contaminated by bacteria
• Plates: in orange bags that will be
autoclaved before disposal
• Contaminated glassware: in plastic
buckets
• NO GLASS IN NORMAL TRASH CANS
• TOXIC CHEMICAL WASTE: dispose in
appropriate containers & LABEL
Media, buffers, solutions
• Plan your experiments in advance; check how
many plates will be needed. Inform Marj if only a
few plates are left in the cold room
• If you need to use more than 500ml liquid
media, inform Marj
• Many buffers are ready in 10X form for common
use (TAE, PBS, blocking buffer for western)
• Special solutions and buffers: MAKE YOUR
OWN.
SDS-PAGE
• Wear gloves when handling plates, acrylamide is VERY toxic –
rinse pipettes with water before placing in the wash; remove
polyacrylamide from flasks
• Avoid storing more than 2 gels at a time
• Spacers and combs should be placed back in the drawer after use –
do not leave them by the sink!
• Make Lower Buffer, Upper Buffer & Acrylamide/Bis if necessary –
composition is written on the bottle
• When preparing acrylamide/bis, wear gloves and a mask, wash the
balance area when finished
• Rinse apparatus with water right after use – salts are corrosive
• Turn power supplies off and store electric cords away
Western blotting
• Minimize use of membrane
• For one gel: 100mA - 2 hours
• RINSE APPARATUS, and store it in the
cabinet
• Antibodies can be used a few times: do
not discard cocktail after a single use; add
azide, LABEL and keep in the refrigerator
for up to 5 experiments.
AGAROSE GELS
• Storage is OK, but use common sense: make
only what you will use in the near future
• DO NOT LEAVE AGAROSE inside flasks, rinse
out while warm
• Change the buffer in the gel box every week and
write it on top of the lid – WASH THE BOX
BEFORE CHANGING THE BUFFER
• DNA Ladder is expensive: do not use it in large
wells, apply it to a small well in a separate gel
running next to it
BALANCE
• Clean every spill you make, no matter how
small
• Put chemicals back unless the bottle is
empty
• Be very careful with toxic chemicals
Electroporation
• Cuvettes are expensive
• Rinse cuvettes with water before putting
them in the bottom drawer
• Remove ALL your stuff from the
electroporation area: tips, eppendorfs, ice
• Turn OFF electroporator: switch on and
off 4-5 times
SPECTOPHOTOMETER
• Log your use of the UV lamp: TURN IT
OFF after use
• Quartz cuvettes are VERY expensive and
VERY delicate: handle with care, wash
and store – do not leave them upside
down in the washer, they might fall and
break
• EMPTY THE WASHER
COMMON AREAS
• Clean electrophoresis spaces after you
use it (agarose & protein)
• Label any leftover buffer
• Clean UV light box after each use
• Clean magnetic stirrer/heater: TURN IT
OFF when you are done using it
• Remove markings from centrifuge
tubes
Your work area
• CLEAN YOUR BENCH EVERY DAY!
• Discard your ice at the end of the day
• Discard old, contaminated plates and
cultures
• Do not leave samples in ice overnight, so
that next morning it’s all floating in water.
Put your samples away and store the ice.
• Your work area reflects the kind of
professional you are: make it shine