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AAT Bioquest

What is the difference between native and denaturing gel electrophoresis?

Posted February 10, 2022


Answer

In native gel electrophoresis, the RNA or protein of interest is maintained in its normal or native structure while running it through the gel.

In denaturing gel electrophoresis, a reducing agent is added to the sample, gel, or buffer before or during gel electrophoresis. The reducing agent separates the bonds within the RNA or protein molecule, reducing the RNA or protein molecule into its most linear structure.

Additional resources

Analysis of protein denaturation, aggregation and post-translational modification by agarose native gel electrophoresis

Gelite™ Green Nucleic Acid Gel Staining Kit