| An agarose gel is prepared and run according to
the standard procedures, then it is stained and photographed to have a
record of all the DNA fragments.
The gel is prepared by first denaturing, then neutralizing, the DNA fragments in the gel. |
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| After neutralization, the gel is carefully measured. Once the gel dimensions are known, we can begin to assemble the materials needed for Southern transfer. |  |
| The nylon membrane is cut to the size of the gel.
The membrane itself is sandwiched between two sheets of protective paper.
However, wear gloves when working with the membrane to further protect
it from oil and dirt.
Two pieces of 3 mm filter paper are also cut to the size of the gel. Students should also prepare the stack of paper towels that are placed on top of the membrane. These should be roughly the same size as the gel. |
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| Cut parafilm strips that are longer than the width
and length dimensions of the gel. These are used to "mask" the gel and
direct the capillary action through the nylon membrane.
Finally, two large 3 mm filter paper wicks are cut for the next step; assembling the buffer tank and wick. |
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