Difference gel electrophoresis

Difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) is a form of gel electrophoresis where up to three different protein samples can be labeled with fluorescent dyes (for example Cy3, Cy5, Cy2) prior to two-dimensional electrophoresis. After the gel electrophoresis, the gel is scanned with the excitation wavelength of each dye one after the other. This technique is used to see changes in protein abundance (for example, between a sample of a healthy person and a sample of a diseased person).