Electrophoresis

Definition

Electrophoresis is the migration of charged molecules (for example nucleic acids or proteins) through a medium according to charge and molecular size as a consequence of an applied electric current and interactions with the medium. It is used as an analytical technique to separate molecules by charge, size, or binding affinity. Parameters including matrix composition and concentration, ionic strength, electrical current strength and field angle, and migration time can be varied. Electrophoretic methods commonly employed include capillary electrophoresis (CE), gel electrophoresis (GE), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for separation of chromosomal DNA; denaturing and/or temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE/TGGE) for separation according to sequence; polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and SDS-PAGE for separation of proteins in their native and denatured conformations, respectively; and isoelectric focusing (IEF) and 2D electrophoresis for...