miniPCR bio
TM
Dye Electrophoresis Lab: Molecular Rainbow - Instructor's and Student's Guide
Version: 1.0 - Release: April 2022 - © 2022 by miniPCR bio™
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Instructor's Guide
Notes on lab design
This lab serves as an introduction to gel electrophoresis. We believe our approach provides the
right balance between intellectual engagement, inquiry, and accessibility. The design of this lab has
simplified certain elements to achieve these goals.
• While agarose gel electrophoresis is most often used to separate DNA samples, using charged
dyes allows for the samples to be directly visualized in the gel without the need for additional
staining.
• During gel electrophoresis, both the shape and the charge-to-mass ratio of a molecule will
affect migration. In this lab all of the negatively charged dyes have a similar net charge,
allowing students to focus on size as the determining factor in how quickly a molecule
migrates through the gel. The positively charged dye has a smaller net charge, so you cannot
draw conclusions about the relative size of the positively charged dye compared to the
negatively charged dyes.
Additional student supports
At miniPCR bio™, we are committed to preparing students to be successful in the laboratory through
high quality curriculum and training. We have created an extensive set of resources to help your
students succeed in molecular biology techniques, all of which are available for free download at the
miniPCR bio™ tutorials page of our website.
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https://www.minipcr.com/tutorials/
Those activities most relevant to this lab are listed below.
Micropipetting: Video and activity resources to train students in the basic use of a micropipette.
Gel electrophoresis: Video and worksheet activity instructing students on the fundamentals and
practice of agarose gel electrophoresis.
