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Gel Electrophoresis

The definition of Gel Electrophoresis is electrophoresis performed in silica gel, a porous inert medium. Electrophoresis is a process in which colloidal particles or macromolecules (nucleic acids or proteins) with a net electric charge migrate in a solution under the influence of an electric current (also known as cataphoresis or kataphoresis). Electro refers to the energy of electricity, and phoresis derives from the Greek verb phoros, meaning ‘to carry across’.

Separation of macromolecules (or large molecules) depends upon two forces, namely mass and charge. When proteins or DNA are mixed together with a buffer solution and applied to a gel, the electrical current from one electrode rebuffs the molecules while the other electrode simultaneously attracts the molecules. The frictional force of the gel material separates the molecules by size. During the process of electrophoresis, macromolecules are forced to move through the pores when an electrical current is applied. The speed at which the molecules travel through the electric field depends on the strength of the field, on their shape and size, and on the strength and temperature of the buffer in which they are moving. The separated molecules can be seen, after staining, in each lane in a series of bands spread from on end of the gel to the other.

Web Resources On Gel Electrophoresis

Gel Electrophoresis of DNA
Molecular Genetics and Gel Electrophoresis

Book Resources On Gel Electrophoresis

Proteome Research: Two-dimensional Gel Electrophoresis and Identification Methods by T. Rabilloud
The Practice of Quantitative Gel Electrophoresis by Andreas Chrambach

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