Transcript الشريحة 1
Agarose Gel
Electrophoresis
Purposes
To understand the principle of Gel
electrophoresis
To become familiar with the part of the
electrophoresis setup
What is Electrophoresis?
Electrophoresis is a
laboratory technique for
separating molecules
based on their charge.
Separation of a Mixture of
Charged Molecules
Charged molecules are separated based on their electrical
charge and size.
Positive Molecules
Analyze
Charge
Separation
Size
Separation
Mixture of
Charged Molecules
Identify
Purify
Negative Molecules
How Separation Occurs
1- Electrical Charge:
Many molecules (amino acids, proteins, DNA, and RNA)
have naturally occurring negative and positive charges on
them.
The sum of these charges determines the overall charge.
Molecules with a negative charge (anions) will be attracted
to the positively charged node (anode).
Molecules with a positive charge (cations) will be attracted
to the negatively charged node (cathode).
How Separation Occurs
2- Molecule Size:
• The porous material is made of microscopic particles
suspended in a gel.
• The microscopic particles attach to one another forming
tunnels that act as a sieve to separate the molecules.
• Small molecules can move faster than large molecules.
Porous
Material
Proteins Entering
Porous Material
Smallest Move
Fastest
Gel Electrophoresis
Gels can be made from substances such as agarose or
polyacrylamide.
• Agarose – a complex sugar chain from red seaweed.
•
It is commonly used in foods (ice cream, and jellies)
and many biological mediums.
•
It has a large pore size good for separating large
molecules quickly.
Red Sea Weed
• Polyacrylamide – chain of acrylamide molecules.
•
It is often used to make plastics and rubber.
•
It has a small pore size good for separating small
molecules.
Acrylic Acid
Agarose Gel
A porous material derived from red seaweed
Agarose is highly purified to remove
impurities and charge
Acts as a sieve for separating molecules.
This solid matrix will allow the separation of
1% agarose
fragments by size.
Concentration affects molecules migration
Low conc. = larger pores better
resolution of larger DNA fragments
High conc. = smaller pores better
resolution of smaller DNA fragments
2% agarose
Fragment Resolution
Gel Concentration – Is dependant upon the size
of the DNA fragments to be separated.
% Agarose
0.5
0.7
1.0
1.2
1.5
DNA fragment,
kb
30-1
12-0.8
10-0.5
7-0.4
3-0.2
• Agarose at Room Temperature is a 3-Dimentional
solid matrix.
• The smaller the fragments the further the
migration or movement through the matrix.
small
large
-
Power
+
Purposes for Agarose Gel Electrophoresis
• Analysis of molecules size
• Separation and extraction of molecules
• Quantification of molecules
Procedure
Components of an Electrophoresis System
Power supply and chamber, a source of
power supply
Buffer, a fluid mixture of water and ions
Agarose gel, a porous material that
molecules migrates through
Gel casting materials
Cathode
Anode
+
Buffer
Dyes
Power Supply
Electrophoresis Equipments
Power supply
Cover
Gel tank
Electrical leads
Casting tray
Gel combs
Electrophoresis Buffer
TAE (Tris -acetate-EDTA) and TBE (Tris-borate-
EDTA) – pH buffer
Tris Acetic acid provide ions to support
conductivity and maintain pH
EDTA, prevent brake down of molecules
Concentration affects DNA migration
Use of water will produce no migraton
High buffer conc. could melt the agarose gel
Overview of Agarose Gel
Electrophoresis
• Gel Preparation
• Loading the gel
• Running the gel
Gel Preparation
Agarose is a linear polymer extracted from seaweed.
Agarose is a linear polymer extracted from seaweed.
Agarose
Buffer Solution
Combine the agarose powder and buffer solution. Use a flask that is
several times larger than the volume of buffer.
Melting the Agarose
Agarose is insoluble at room temperature (left).
The agarose solution is boiled until clear (right).
Gently swirl the solution periodically when heating to allow all the grains of agarose
to dissolve.
***Be careful when boiling - the agarose solution may become superheated and
may boil violently if it has been heated too long in a microwave oven.
Gel casting tray & combs
Pouring the gel
Allow the agarose solution to cool slightly (~60ºC) and then carefully pour
the melted agarose solution into the casting tray. Avoid air bubbles.
When cooled, the agarose polymerizes, forming a flexible gel. It should
appear lighter in color when completely cooled (30-45 minutes).
Carefully remove the comb.
Place the gel in the electrophoresis chamber.
Loading the Gel
Carefully place the pipette tip over a well and gently expel the
sample. The sample should sink into the well. Be careful not to
puncture the gel with the pipette tip.
Running the Gel
Migration of molecules in Agarose
Rate of migration of a molecule is
inversely proportional to the log of
its molecular weight
Distance α 1 / log-MW
3
Log- Molecular Weight
Best Fit Line
2
1
Distance (mm)