Gel electrophoresis is a technique used to cut and separate DNA fragments due to their size. This technique is vital for modern personalized medication, because this technique can also detect recessive traits of autosomal recessive diseases(genetic diseases). Gel electrophoresis has also been used to detect the identity of a person that carries a recessive trait such as colorblindness or having blue eyes.

So how does this work? DNA is a double helical staircase made up of nucleic acids, and phosphate groups are contained within the nucleic acids. Those phosphate groups are negatively charged and are attracted to positively charged poles. The gel box is a box that is negatively charged on the top portions of the box and more positively charged closer to the bottom of the box and there is a power source connected to both ends. Hence, the system creates an electrical circuit which creates a steady flow of the electrical current traveling from the negative pole,through the agarose gel (the surrounding gel that make up the gel box), and to the positive pole. In this system, there are small indention columns called “walls”, the walls function as a placeholder for the DNA samples. The DNA samples are converted into loading dye called bromophenol-blue. These samples are then injected into the walls with a micro pipette, then the power source is turned on in order to run the current of the system. After the DNA fragments have separated and traveled downwards, away from the negatively charged pole and toward the positively charged pole, the fragments are then observed under UV light with a max range from 300nm to 360nm.

So what is the result from the procedure? When the box is observed under UV light, each sample has been cut into small bands underneath each of the walls. The bands that are closer to the walls are considered to be the large-range bands since the phosphate group from the nucleic acid of that particular DNA sample was attracted to the negatively charged pole itself. The larger bands are considered to carry the dominant traits contained within the DNA. On the other hand, the bands that have traveled further toward the positively charged pole are called short-range bands, and these bands are considered to contain the recessive traits contained within the DNA. In conclusion, gel electrophoresis is vital for research of genetic identification for patients with genetic diseases.

The person who wrote this did this in Lab.

Reference:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5yZh40dXqFzNEo2NThOLWhrMXM