Gel Electrophoresis: Separating DNA and RNA

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Gel electrophoresis is a procedure used in laboratories to separate DNA, as well as RNA and proteins. A gel slab is placed in a buffer-filled box and an electrical field is applied. The negatively charged DNA will migrate towards the positively charged side, where it can then be recorded and further analyzed.
An example for the use of gel electrophoresis would be in identifying people. DNA is present in almost every cell of our body. Each person has a unique sequence of DNA base pairs that makes up our DNA fingerprint. A DNA fingerprint is the same for every cell, tissue and organ of a person. According to Dalya Rosner on the Naked Scientists website, "DNA fingerprinting is a technique for determining the likelihood that genetic material came from a particular individual or group. 99% of human DNA is identical between individuals, but the 1% that differs enables scientists to distinguish identity" (Rosner, 2004). This is an interesting fact and this is where the procedure of gel electrophoresis can be used. Intact DNA is fairly large and normally it can't move well through the pores of a simple agarose gel, without using a different method (pulsed field electrophoresis). To make DNA easier to work with, it is first cut into smaller pieces with enzymes called restriction enzymes. Restriction enzymes recognize specific sequences in the DNA and cut it at a specific site. Once the strands are cut, they can be separated by gel electrophoresis.
To begin the procedure of gel electrophoresis, a gel that is either be bought or made is needed. Agarose and polyacrylamide are the most common types of gels used. Polyacrylamide gels are usually used for proteins and for small fragments of DNA. I will focus more on the agarose gel. Agarose ...

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DNA Learning Center. Biology Animation Center: Gel Electrophoresis. Retrieved 12-21-2013 from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, website: http://www.dnalc.org/resources/animations/gelelectrophoresis.html

Espionage Information. Electrophoresis. Retrieved 12-21-2013 from Encyclopedia of Espionage, website: http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Ec-Ep/Electrophoresis.html

Learn.Genetics. Gel Electrophoresis Virtual Lab. Retrieved 12-21-2013 from The University of Utah, website: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/gel/

Molecular Biology CyberLab. Gel Electrophoresis of DNA. Retrieved 12-21-2013 from, website: http://www.life.illinois.edu/molbio/geldigest/electro.html

Rosner D. (2004) How does DNA Fingerprinting Work? Retrieved 12-21-2013 from The Naked Scientists, website: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/article/dalyacolumn8.htm/

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