Gel electrophoresis

Gel electrophoresis is an <a href="/facts/Electrophoresis/B0aLKHTt">electrophoresis</a> method for separation and analysis of <a href="/facts/Biomolecule/DGvFzN7R">biomacromolecules</a> (<a href="/facts/DNA/nB89Iauz">DNA</a>, <a href="/facts/RNA/HxPeNfNj">RNA</a>, <a href="/facts/Protein/Jxmagu3E">proteins</a>, etc.) and their fragments, based on their size and charge through a <a href="/facts/Gel/t7eStnK0">gel</a>. It is used in <a href="/facts/Clinical_chemistry/HeW1kbmS">clinical chemistry</a> to separate proteins by charge or size (IEF agarose, essentially size independent) and in <a href="/facts/Biochemistry/fa2pWEBp">biochemistry</a> and <a href="/facts/Molecular_biology/YgqU35ub">molecular biology</a> to separate a mixed population of DNA and RNA fragments by length, to estimate the size of DNA and RNA fragments, or to separate proteins by charge.
Nucleic acid molecules are separated by applying an <a href="/facts/Electric_field/tt4MooBs">electric field</a> to move the negatively charged molecules through a gel matrix of <a href="/facts/Agarose/wI0PJkBA">agarose</a>, <a href="/facts/Polyacrylamide/vuKfsKhf">polyacrylamide</a>, or other substances. Shorter molecules move faster and migrate farther than longer ones because shorter molecules migrate more easily through the pores of the gel. This phenomenon is called sieving. Proteins are separated by the charge in agarose because the pores of the gel are too large to sieve proteins. Gel electrophoresis can also be used for the separation of <a href="/facts/Nanoparticle/k8kNxX4E">nanoparticles</a>.
Gel electrophoresis uses a gel as an anticonvective medium or sieving medium during electrophoresis. Gels suppress the thermal convection caused by the application of the electric field and can also serve to maintain the finished separation so that a post-electrophoresis stain can be applied. DNA gel electrophoresis is usually performed for analytical purposes, often after amplification of DNA via <a href="/facts/Polymerase_chain_reaction/G0jWzJy1">polymerase chain reaction</a> (PCR), but may be used as a preparative technique for other methods such as <a href="/facts/Mass_spectrometry/RH5WBHJ2">mass spectrometry</a>, <a href="/facts/Restriction_fragment_length_polymorphism/tJutAmFv">RFLP</a>, PCR, <a href="/facts/Cloning/Vb6SM4c7">cloning</a>, <a href="/facts/DNA_sequencing/hsPsNCQW">DNA sequencing</a>, or <a href="/facts/Southern_blot/HXrr0Gz3">southern blotting</a> for further characterization.

Gel electrophoresis open-in-new

Gel electrophoresis