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AAT Bioquest

How does the size of the DNA fragment affect its movement or migration through the agarose gel during electrophoresis?

Posted May 2, 2023


Answer

The movement or migration of DNA fragments through the agarose gel is inversely proportional to the size of the fragments. Smaller DNA fragments move through the agarose gel more quickly as compared to larger DNA fragments. The smaller-sized fragments travel further than the larger-sized fragments. This organizes the fragments in order of size. 

Additional resources

Agarose gel electrophoresis for the separation of DNA fragments

Gel Electrophoresis

Helixyte™ Green Nucleic Acid Gel Stain *10,000X DMSO Solution*