Agarosegeeliä

Agarosegeeliä is a gel matrix primarily composed of agarose, a polysaccharide extracted from red algae. It is widely used in molecular biology and biochemistry for the separation of nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, based on their size. The agarose forms a porous network when dissolved in an aqueous buffer and then cooled. The pore size of the gel is inversely proportional to the concentration of agarose; higher concentrations result in smaller pores, allowing for the separation of smaller molecules.

The process of gel electrophoresis using agarosegeeliä involves casting a gel with a specific concentration of agarose in a tray containing wells. Once the gel solidifies, it is submerged in an electrophoresis buffer within a gel box. The nucleic acid sample, often mixed with a loading dye, is loaded into the wells. An electric current is then applied across the gel. Since nucleic acids are negatively charged due to their phosphate backbone, they migrate towards the positive electrode. Smaller fragments move more readily through the pores of the agarose matrix, resulting in faster migration, while larger fragments are impeded, moving more slowly. This differential migration allows for the separation of DNA or RNA fragments into distinct bands based on their molecular weight. The separated fragments can then be visualized, typically by staining with a fluorescent dye like ethidium bromide or SYBR Safe, and examined under UV light. Agarosegeeliä is also utilized in other applications such as DNA fingerprinting, PCR product analysis, and purification of DNA fragments.