A gel electrophoresis apparatus is a laboratory instrument used to separate molecules, most commonly DNA, RNA or proteins, by size, using an electric field applied across a porous gel that causes the charged molecules to migrate through it at a rate that depends on their size and shape, with smaller molecules generally moving faster and farther than larger ones over a fixed period of time. The underlying technique of gel electrophoresis developed through the middle decades of the twentieth century, building on earlier electrophoretic separation methods, with agarose and polyacrylamide gel systems becoming standard laboratory tools by the 1960s and 1970s as molecular biology matured as a discipline. Gel electrophoresis apparatus is now one of the most routinely used instruments in molecular biology and biochemistry laboratories worldwide, essential to tasks including DNA fragment analysis, verifying the results of polymerase chain reaction amplification, protein characterization, and forensic DNA profiling.
Facts
MeasuresSourced to the subject's own accountSeparates biomacromolecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins by size and charge as they migrate through a gel under an electric field. 1 Operating PrincipleSourced to the subject's own accountAn electric field drives negatively charged nucleic acid molecules through a gel matrix of agarose, polyacrylamide or similar material; shorter fragments move faster. 1 ResolutionSourced to the subject's own accountAgarose gels resolve DNA fragments from about 50 to 20,000 base pairs, with lower resolving power than polyacrylamide but a wider separation range. 1 Operating RangeSourced to the subject's own accountPolyacrylamide gels are used for small DNA fragments of about 5 to 500 base pairs, offering very high resolving power at that scale. 1 Classification
Instrument ClassSourced to the subject's own account Connections
Used In
Genetics, Disciplines Gel electrophoresis separates DNA, RNA or protein fragments by size under an electric field, a routine bench instrument of genetics.
Sources
1. Gel Electrophoresis (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section, opening sentence
Gel electrophoresis is a method for separation and analysis of biomacromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, etc.) and their fragments, based on their size and charge as they move through a gel under an electric field.
Lead section
Nucleic acid molecules are separated by applying an electric field to move the negatively charged molecules through a gel matrix of agarose, polyacrylamide, or other substances.
Types of gel section
Polyacrylamide gels are usually used for proteins and have very high resolving power for small fragments of DNA (5-500 bp).
Lede, instrument class
A gel electrophoresis apparatus is a laboratory instrument used to separate molecules, most commonly DNA, RNA or proteins, by size, using an electric field applied across a porous gel that causes the charged molecules to migrate through it at a rate that depends on their size and shape, with smaller molecules generally moving faster and farther than larger ones over a fixed period of time.
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