Gel electrophoresis

Which is gel electrophotosis?

• Gel electrophoresis is a technique used to separate DNA fragments
according to their size.
• DNA samples are loaded into wells (slots) at one end of a gel and an
electrical current is applied to drag them through the gel.
Which is gel electrophotosis?
• The fragments are negatively charged, so they move towards the
positive electrode. Since all DNA fragments have the same amount of
charge per mass, small fragments pass through the gel faster than
large ones.
• When a gel is stained with a pigment that binds to DNA, the DNA
fragments can be seen as bands, which represent a group of DNA
fragments of the same size
Which is gel electrophotosis?
Gel electrophoresis is a technique used to separate DNA fragments (or
other macromolecules, such as RNA and proteins) by size and charge.
Electrophoresis consists of applying a current through a gel containing
the molecules of interest. Based on their size and charge, the
molecules will move through the gel in different directions or at
different speeds, separating them from each other.
Which is gel electrophotosis?
All DNA molecules have the same amount of charge per mass. Because
of this, gel electrophoresis separates DNA fragments only by their size.
Electrophoresis allows us to see how many different fragments of DNA
are present in a sample and how large they are relative to each other.
We can also determine the absolute size of a DNA fragment by
examining it against a standard'scale' of fragments of known size.
The law of charges
• The law of charges states that charges of the same sign are repelled,
while charges of a different sign are attracted; that is, electrostatic
forces between charges of the same sign are repulsive, while
electrostatic forces between charges of opposite signs are of
attraction.
Why gel electrophoresis works?
• The phosphate groups in your sugar-phosphate skeleton give a
negative charge to the DNA molecules, so they begin to move through
the gel matrix to the positive pole. When the system is on and the gel
is running, the gel is said to be running.
Visualization of DNA fragments
• Once the fragments have separated, we can examine the gel and
know the size of the bands found in it. When a gel is stained with a
pigment (ethidium bromide) that binds to DNA and is placed under
UV light, the DNA fragments will glow, allowing us to see the DNA
present in different places along the gel.
Visualization of DNA fragments
• A well-defined "line" of DNA in a gel is called a band. Each band
contains a large number of DNA fragments of the same size that have
traveled together to the same position. A single DNA fragment (or
even a small group of DNA fragments) would not be visible by itself in
a gel.
• https://es.khanacademy.org/science/biology/biotech-dna-
technology/dna-sequencing-pcr-electrophoresis/a/gel-
electrophoresis