Description
Agarose gel electrophoresis: DNA fragments loaded alongside a size ladder migrate through an agarose matrix toward the anode and separate by size, are stained and visualised under UV, and re-run at adjusted conditions if bands are not resolved.
Process Flowchart
graph TD
N1["DNA samples"]
N2["DNA size ladder"]
N3["Agarose + TAE buffer"]
N4["Cast gel with comb"]
N5["Load samples + ladder"]
N6["Apply voltage; migrate"]
N7{"Dye front near gel end?"}
N8["Stain; visualize on UV"]
N9{"Bands resolved at size?"}
N10["Sized DNA fragments imaged"]
N3 --> N4
N4 --> N5
N1 --> N5
N2 --> N5
N5 --> N6
N6 --> N7
N7 -->|no| N6
N7 -->|yes| N8
N8 --> N9
N9 -->|adjust %| N4
N9 -->|yes| N10
style N1 fill:#ff6b6b,color:#fff
style N2 fill:#ff6b6b,color:#fff
style N3 fill:#ffd43b,color:#000
style N4 fill:#51cf66,color:#fff
style N5 fill:#51cf66,color:#fff
style N6 fill:#51cf66,color:#fff
style N7 fill:#74c0fc,color:#fff
style N8 fill:#51cf66,color:#fff
style N9 fill:#74c0fc,color:#fff
style N10 fill:#b197fc,color:#fff
Node provenance
Each step below is grounded in a cited source (hover a citation for the full title).
| Step | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DNA samples | Triggers & Inputs | Lee, P. Y. et al. 2012 |
| DNA size ladder | Triggers & Inputs | Sambrook, J. et al. 2001 |
| Agarose + TAE buffer | Structures & Objects | Sambrook, J. et al. 2001 |
| Cast gel with comb | Processing & Operations | Sambrook, J. et al. 2001 |
| Load samples + ladder | Processing & Operations | Lee, P. Y. et al. 2012 |
| Apply voltage; migrate | Processing & Operations | Aaij, C. et al. 1972 |
| Dye front near gel end? | Intermediates & States | Lee, P. Y. et al. 2012 |
| Stain; visualize on UV | Processing & Operations | Lee, P. Y. et al. 2012 |
| Bands resolved at size? | Intermediates & States | Sambrook, J. et al. 2001 |
| Sized DNA fragments imaged | Products & Outputs | Aaij, C. et al. 1972 |
🎨 Color Scheme (5-Color System)
Red
Triggers & Inputs
Triggers & Inputs
Yellow
Structures & Objects
Structures & Objects
Green
Processing & Operations
Processing & Operations
Blue
Intermediates & States
Intermediates & States
Violet
Products & Outputs
Products & Outputs
Process Statistics
- Nodes: 10
- Edges: 11
- Conditionals: 2
- AND Gates: 3
- OR Gates: 2
- Total Gates: 5
Keywords
- agarose
- electrophoresis
- dna ladder
- size separation
- uv
Sources & References
-
The gel electrophoresis of DNA
Aaij, C.; Borst, P. , Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (1972)
DOI: 10.1016/0005-2787(72)90426-9 -
Agarose gel electrophoresis for the separation of DNA fragments
Lee, P. Y.; Costumbrado, J.; Hsu, C. Y.; Kim, Y. H. , Journal of Visualized Experiments (2012)
DOI: 10.3791/3923 -
Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (3rd ed.)
Sambrook, J.; Russell, D. W. , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (2001)
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