How Do You Run An Agarose Gel For Separation Of DNA?
Agarose gels are used to separate different size strands of DNA, consisting of genomic DNA and plasmids, or the products of restriction enzyme digests and PCR. The following is a simple step-by-step procedure for running a gel and visualizing DNA fragments by ethidium bromide staining.Difficulty: AverageTime Required: Approximately 2 hoursHere’s How: • Prepare the molten gel. Mix the powder agarose with electrophoresis buffer (TAE or TBE) at the desired concentration, depending on the size range of the DNA strands you are working with. The gel is melted by heating, usually in a microwave. Ethidium bromide (0.5 ug/mL) can be added at this stage, to allow visualization of the separated DNA. Alternatively, the gel can be stained by soaking it in ethidium bromide solution after it is run. • Pour the gel. Prepare the gel casting tray by taping
