After Tysha has finished creating her gel and placing it in the plastic box for gel electrophoresis, here are the steps she should follow:
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Prepare the Running Buffer: If she hasn't done so already, she should prepare the appropriate running buffer (e.g., TAE or TBE buffer) and pour it into the electrophoresis chamber until it covers the gel adequately.
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Load the Samples: Once the gel is submerged in the buffer, she should load her DNA samples into the wells of the gel. This can be done using a micropipette to carefully pipette the samples into each well without puncturing the gel.
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Add a DNA Ladder: Tysha should also load a DNA ladder (molecular weight marker) into a well. This will allow her to compare the size of her samples to the known sizes of the DNA fragments in the ladder.
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Connect the Power Supply: After loading the samples, she should connect the electrophoresis chamber to a power supply, ensuring that the correct polarity is set (usually, the negative side is closest to the well since DNA is negatively charged and will migrate towards the positive electrode).
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Run the Gel: She should then turn on the power supply and run the gel for the appropriate amount of time, usually measured in volts and time, based on the size of the gel and the desired separation.
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Monitor the Progress: While the gel is running, she may want to periodically check the migration of the dye front (if she used a loading dye) to gauge progress.
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Staining (if necessary): Once the run is complete, she will need to visualize the DNA. This can be done by staining the gel with a DNA stain such as ethidium bromide (if using UV light for visualization) or another non-toxic stain, depending on the resources available.
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Document the Results: Lastly, she should capture images of the gel using a suitable imaging system, if available, to document her results.
By following these steps, Tysha will successfully complete the gel electrophoresis process.
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