Nt1310 Lab 6.1

In Procedure 6.1, two different gels were used. One gel was 2.0% agarose while the other gel was 0.8% agarose. The reason we poured two gels was because each gel had a different purpose. The 2.0% agarose (thicker gel) was used to determine amplicons while the 0.8% agarose (thinner gel) was used for restriction fragments. One gel was ‘thicker’ than the other gel to distinguish smaller segments than the thinner gel. By having a thicker gel, smaller segments can move better and not be cleared out by bigger segments. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is used to replicate DNA. In Lab 5, we created PCR amplicons by collecting our own DNA through our cheek cells, adding Taq DNA polymerase, dNTPs, primer, and a proper buffer solution into a PCR tube. …show more content…
We can visualize the location of amplicons in a gel by agarose gel electrophoresis. When Syber-safe DNA strain is added to the gel, the stain will bind to the DNA which will show green lines while under the transilluminator. Loading dye was used in Lab 5 when we were creating the DNA sample. The loading was mixed in with the DNA sample and the function of the loading dye is to allow the DNA to be tracked during your electrophoresis process. Syber-Safe DNA stain was used in Lab 6 while we were pouring the agarose into the casting tray. The purpose of Syber-Safe DNA stain is for the stain to bind to DNA and allow the DNA to glow under UV light. The difference in function between the loading dye and Syber-Safe DNA stain was that the loading dye does not bind to the DNA but tracks the DNA during electrophoresis while the Syber-Safe DNA stain will bind to DNA and will help visualize the DNA under UV light. The purpose of a molecular ladder in gel electrophoresis is to serve as a reference to approximate the size of the unknown DNA molecules through LoggerPro software. The molecular ladder is used to determine unknown DNA fragments by using known DNA fragment size as