DNA ladder
set of known DNA fragments with different sizes in; these DNA fragments are separated and visualized as DNA bands on a gel. used to determine the size and quantity of DNA fragments
A DNA ladder is a molecular ladder or a set of standards of known sizes used to determine the size of DNA fragments on a gel electrophoresis gel.
In gel electrophoresis, DNA fragments are separated by size using an electric field and their migration through a gel matrix. The DNA ladder is loaded alongside the sample DNA onto the gel for comparison and the size of unknown DNA fragments can be estimated by comparison to the ladder.
DNA ladders typically come in variations of 100bp, 1kb, and 10kb sizes, with a known number and size of fragments. These ladders are commonly used in molecular biology research to determine the size of PCR products, digest fragments, and plasmid DNA.
When selecting a DNA ladder, it is important to ensure that the ladder is compatible with the buffer conditions and the type of gel being used. Additionally, the accuracy of the estimated size of DNA fragments will depend on the resolution of the gel, as well as the quality and quantity of DNA loaded.
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