Protein Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)

Definition

SDS-PAGE (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis) is a technique used by biologists to separate proteins according to their size.

Related terms

Western Blotting: A technique that uses antibodies specific for a protein of interest after SDS-PAGE separation, allowing for detection and quantification of that protein.

Molecular Weight Marker/ Ladder: These are mixtures of proteins with known sizes which are run alongside samples in SDS-PAGE so we can estimate the size of our sample proteins by comparing them to the marker bands.

Polyacrylamide Gel: The medium used in SDS-PAGE, which acts like a sieve, allowing smaller proteins to move faster than larger ones.