Gel Electrophoresis
Pour 100 mL of 1X TAE Buffer into an Erlenmeyer Flask .
Weigh out 1 g Agarose and add it to the Erlenmeyer Flask .
Place Erlenmeyer Flask in a microwave on high power for two minutes or until solution is clear and agarose is completely dissolved , occasionally stirring .
Remove Erlenmeyer Flask from microwave and let it sit on the lab bench to cool just until you can comfortably pick it up .
Place gel tray on clamp and clamp securely .
Add well plates where you want wells and use a level to ensure it is balanced .
Pour contents of the Erlemeyer Flask into the gel tray and let it sit for 10 minutes , or until solid .
Remove the well plates carefully as to not tear the gel and remove the tray from the clamp , but ensure the gel remains in the tray .
Place gel tray into gel electrophoresis apparatus with the wells closer to the negative / black end .
Pour additional TAE Buffer to fill each side of the apparatus and to create a thin layer of buffer covering the top of the gel .
Pipette 5 uL of the 1kb DNA Ladder with Loading Dye into a well .
Typically this is placed into one of the wells near an edge .
Pipette your DNA , approximately 20 uL , with Loading Dye mixture into another well .
Repeat for each sample .
Place lid on apparatus and plug cables into amplifier .
Set amplifier to stay at a constant voltage of 70 V . Let run for 45 minutes or until the loading dye has sufficiently moved .
Remove gel from gel tray after draining excess TAE Buffer .
Place gel into a bin with 1 % Ethidium Bromide , ensuring the solution does not come into contact with skin .
Clean all surfaces that may have come in contact with ethidium bromide , place gloves in a bin labelled " Ethidium Bromide " , and wash hands repeatedly afterwards .
Let gel sit for 15 minutes .
Carefully removing the gel , to avoid splashes , place on top of a UV light source with a camera .
In as short a time as is possible , turn on the UV light to capture a photograph of the gel .
Remove band if purifying DNA .
Otherwise , carefully dispose of the gel into a wastebin labelled " Ethidium Bromide " .
