Gel Electrophoresis Lab Report

Introduction

Gel electrophoresis is a technique used to separate biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. DNA can be separated according to their size. First, in a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), large amounts of DNA are replicated from a trace amount. The trace amount can come from a hair, a drop of blood, or a cheek cell. After DNA is generated, it is placed in chambers in the electrophoresis gel. A direct current is passed through the gel, and it passes through electrodes at each end of the chamber. Since DNA is negatively charged, it will be attracted to the positive pole and repelled by the negative pole. Small DNA molecules are able to move through the gel faster than larger fragments. This results in a series of

This will begin the PCR reaction. The PCR amplification reaction consists of cycles of heating and cooling. This will take about 3 hours. Part 3 of 4: Gel Electrophoresis of Amplified PCR Samples

Step 1: Obtain the PCR tube from the thermal cycler. Add 10 μl of Loading Dye into the PCR tube. DNA Loading Dye is used to stain DNA fragments so you can track it during gel electrophoresis.

Step 2: Next, obtain an agarose gel (either prepared or made). Place the gel onto a casting tray, and put the tray on the platform of the gel box. Make sure the tray is facing the cathode (negative) side of the box. The cathode side is usually labeled on the gel box. Step 3: Pour about 300 mL of electrophoresis buffer into the electrophoresis chamber until it covers the wells. This buffer contains ions that aid in carry the electrical current. Step 4: Using a clean tip for each sample, load the samples into the wells of the gel. In addition to the DNA you have replicated, add samples of the controls for the specific gene you are testing. For example, add a homozygous gene control and heterozygous gene control. This will create a basis for