Lab 3 Gel Electrophoresis Questions and Answers Graded A+
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Lab 3 Gel Electrophoresis
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Lab 3 Gel Electrophoresis
Lab 3 Gel Electrophoresis Questions
and Answers Graded A+
What would happen if you dropped your DNA sample outside the well?
If you miss the well, your sample would float away in the buffer, and nothing will separate
during the run!
Why does DNA naturally "run away" from the negative end...
Lab 3 Gel Electrophoresis Questions
and Answers Graded A+
What would happen if you dropped your DNA sample outside the well?
✔✔If you miss the well, your sample would float away in the buffer, and nothing will separate
during the run!
Why does DNA naturally "run away" from the negative end of the gel?
✔✔DNA has a negative charge due to its phosphate backbone, so it’s repelled by the negative
electrode and races toward the positive side.
What do the DNA bands look like under UV light, and why are they visible?
✔✔The DNA bands glow like bright stripes under UV light because the dye (like ethidium
bromide) binds to DNA and fluoresces.
What’s the magic behind the DNA ladder in gel electrophoresis?
✔✔The DNA ladder acts like a molecular ruler, helping you measure the size of your fragments
by comparing them to known "steps."
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, What’s the gel really made of—does it work like Jell-O?
✔✔The gel is made of agarose, a seaweed extract, which forms a squishy matrix, a lot like Jell-
O, but it’s designed to help molecules slip through it.
What might your gel look like if you forgot to turn on the power supply?
✔✔Your gel would be completely blank—no bands would move, and the DNA would just sit
there, waiting for the current!
How does electricity help you “sort” DNA by size?
✔✔The electric field acts like a magnet, pulling smaller DNA pieces through the gel faster while
the larger pieces get slowed down in the thick matrix.
If DNA is invisible, how do you see where it goes in the gel?
✔✔We mix the DNA with a dye that sticks to it, and when we shine UV light, the dye glows,
revealing the DNA’s path!
How does the concentration of the agarose gel turn into a "traffic controller" for DNA?
✔✔A higher concentration gel creates more “traffic” by tightening the pores, slowing down
larger fragments more than the small ones.
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