Agarose gel electrophoresis
Agarose gel electrophoresis is a method of gel electrophoresis used in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and clinical chemistry to separate a mixed population of macromolecules such as DNA or proteins in a matrix of agarose, one of the two main components of agar. The proteins may be separated by charge and/or size, and the DNA and RNA fragments by length. Biomolecules are separated by applying an electric field to move the charged molecules through an agarose matrix, and the biomolecules are separated by size in the agarose gel matrix.
An agarose gel cast in tray, to be used for gel electrophoresis
Gels of plasmid preparations usually show a major band of supercoiled DNA with other fainter bands in the same lane. Note that by convention DNA gel is displayed with smaller DNA fragments nearer to the bottom of the gel. This is because historically DNA gels were run vertically and the smaller DNA fragments move downwards faster.
Loading DNA samples into the wells of an agarose gel using a multi-channel pipette.
Agarose gel slab in electrophoresis tank with bands of dyes indicating progress of the electrophoresis. The DNA moves towards anode.
Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions.
Griffith's experiment
Two percent agarose gel in borate buffer cast in a gel tray
SDS-PAGE
Transduction image
