faq

Q:	The DNA bands on my agarose gel are sometimes wavy, but usually only in one or two lanes. What causes this?
A:	Dried agarose on the comb teeth is a frequent cause of this problem. Prior to casting your gel, check the comb teeth for residual dried agarose. If not removed, this will attach to the newly cast agarose and fracture the well upon comb removal. This is usually not observable until the gel is on the transilluminator. Additionally, care must be taken during comb removal, particularly with low melting temperature agaroses. Well integrity may be maintained in these agaroses by pre-chilling the gel to 4°C for 30 minutes and/or by flooding the gel with cold buffer prior to removing the comb.

The DNA bands on my agarose gel are sometimes wavy, but usually only in one or two lanes. What causes this?

Dried agarose on the comb teeth is a frequent cause of this problem. Prior to casting your gel, check the comb teeth for residual dried agarose.

If not removed, this will attach to the newly cast agarose and fracture the well upon comb removal. This is usually not observable until the gel is on the transilluminator. Additionally, care must be taken during comb removal, particularly with low melting temperature agaroses.

Well integrity may be maintained in these agaroses by pre-chilling the gel to 4°C for 30 minutes and/or by flooding the gel with cold buffer prior to removing the comb.

Categories:

Electrophoreses and Analysis

Research Areas:

Molecular Biology