gel electrophoresis

American  

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a technique for separating protein molecules of varying sizes in a mixture by moving them through a block of gel, as of agarose or polyacrylamide, by means of an electric field, with smaller molecules moving faster and therefore farther than larger ones.

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gel electrophoresis Cultural  

1. A technique used in DNA fingerprinting and other processes in which large molecules are to be identified. Fragments of DNA are placed in a semiporous gel, and an electrical field is turned on. The fragments move in response to the field, with smaller fragments generally moving faster. After a time, the fragments have separated enough to form a series of separated lines like a bar code that characterizes the DNA.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gel electrophoresis

Meanwhile, Belfast-based fertility firm Examen uses a technique known as single cell gel electrophoresis to identify DNA damage in individual sperm.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2023

When the reaction mixture is processed by gel electrophoresis after being separated into single strands, the multiple newly replicated DNA strands form a ladder because of the differing sizes.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

The team used a technique called gel electrophoresis to break down the muscles into individual muscle fibers, and compared this breakdown to human muscle fiber data.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 26, 2017

DNA was purified twice with Beckman Coulter Genomics AMPure XP magnetic beads and assessed by standard agarose gel electrophoresis and Thermo Fisher Scientific Qubit Fluorometry.

From Nature ● Feb. 7, 2017

These amounts are insufficient for most procedures, such as gel electrophoresis.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013