Virtual Gel electrophoresis Lab
Go to the following website and complete the questions below
https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/gel/
1.What is gel electrophoresis used for?
2.Using the picture to the left, explain how DNA moves
through the gel.
3.Does DNA have a negative or positive charge?
4. What is a buffer and what is it used for?
5. What is the purpose of the “comb?”
6. What materials will you need to make the gel? (listed on the webpage)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
7. What does the DNA size standard contain?
8. What do the bubbles on the electrodes tell you?
9.
What is ethidium bromide? Why can it be
dangerous?
10. Read the following gel to the left. What are
the estimated base pair lengths to the left in the
boxes?
A.
B.
C.
11. Which fragments went the farthest through
the gel, large pieces of DNA (6000 bp) or smaller
pieces of DNA (1000 bp)?
12. Name and discuss a source of error in performing and evaluating gel electrophoresis.