Practicing Success
Agarose, a gel used as matrix in gel electrophorises is a natural polymer which is extracted from: |
Soya bean Sea weeds Sea anemone Sea corals |
Sea weeds |
The correct answer is Option (2) - Sea weeds The cutting of DNA by restriction endonucleases results in the fragments of DNA. These fragments can be separated by a technique known as gel electrophoresis. Since DNA fragments are negatively charged molecules they can be separated by forcing them to move towards the anode under an electric field through a medium/matrix. Nowadays the most commonly used matrix is agarose which is a natural polymer extracted from sea weeds. The DNA fragments separate (resolve) according to their size through sieving effect provided by the agarose gel. |