Sds-page

SDS-PAGE (pronounced "ess-dee-ess page"), an acronym for Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, is a technique widely used in Biochemistry, Forensic Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology to separate proteins according to their Electrophoretic Mobility (a measure of the speed at which a protein moves in an electrical field).

Etymology

The term "SDS-PAGE" comes from its main components: Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, a detergent that denatures secondary and non–disulfide-linked tertiary structures, and Polyacrylamide gel, the medium through which the sample proteins are electrophoretically transported. "PAGE" stands for Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis.

Procedure

In SDS-PAGE, proteins are separated based on their molecular weight. The procedure involves the following steps:

1. Sample Preparation: The protein sample is mixed with SDS, which denatures the proteins and gives them a negative charge proportional to their mass.
2. Gel Preparation: A polyacrylamide gel is prepared, which acts as a molecular sieve through which the proteins move.
3. Electrophoresis: The protein-SDS mixtures are loaded into wells in the gel. An electric current is applied, and the proteins move through the gel. Smaller proteins move faster and therefore further than larger ones.
4. Staining and Destaining: The gel is stained to visualize the separated proteins and then destained to remove background staining.

Applications

SDS-PAGE is used in various fields for different purposes:

• In Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, it is used to determine the molecular weight of proteins and to analyze their relative abundance in different samples.
• In Forensic Science, it is used to compare protein profiles from different samples to help identify individuals.
• In Biotechnology, it is used in quality control to ensure that the correct protein has been produced.

Related Terms

• Electrophoresis
• Protein Structure
• Molecular Weight
• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Forensic Science
• Biotechnology

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