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GelGreen is an intercalating nucleic acid stain used in molecular genetics for agarose gel DNA electrophoresis. GelGreen consists of two acridine orange subunits that are bridged by a linear oxygenated spacer.
It is not always the case that the structure of a molecule is easy to relate to its function. What makes the structure of DNA so obviously related to its function was described modestly at the end of the article: "It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material".
A further explanation of how DNA binds to silica is based on the action of guanidinium chloride (GuHCl), which acts as a chaotrope. [3] A chaotrope denatures biomolecules by disrupting the shell of hydration around them.
Most solutions also have an antioxidant, as oxidized phenol damages the nucleic acids. For RNA purification, the pH is kept at around 4, which retains RNA in the aqueous phase preferentially. For DNA purification, the pH is usually near 7, at which point all nucleic acids are found in the aqueous phase.
"Most agarose gels are made with between 0.7% (good separation or resolution of large 5–10kb DNA fragments) and 2% (good resolution for small 0.2–1kb fragments) agarose dissolved in electrophoresis buffer. Up to 3% can be used for separating very tiny fragments but a vertical polyacrylamide gel is more appropriate in this case.
Nucleic acids present in the washed (and preferably dried) silica-nucleic acid complexes is eluted into chosen elution buffer such as TE buffer, aqua bidest, and so on. The selection of the elution buffer is co-determined by the contemplated use of the isolated nucleic acid. In this way, pure nucleic acids are isolated from the starting material.
Melting is the process by which the interactions between the strands of the double helix are broken, separating the two nucleic acid strands. These bonds are weak, easily separated by gentle heating, enzymes, or physical force. Melting occurs preferentially at certain points in the nucleic acid. [3]
The limit of resolution for standard agarose gel electrophoresis is around 750 kb, but resolution of over 6 Mb is possible with pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). [7] It can also be used to separate large proteins, and it is the preferred matrix for the gel electrophoresis of particles with effective radii larger than 5–10 nm.