Protein Chemistry. Structure, Properties, Research Methods - Shendryk A.N. 2022

Methods for Experimental Investigation of Protein Structure
Protein Separation Methods
Experimental Methods of Electrophoresis - Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

Polyacrylamide gel Electrophoresis is an extremely powerful technique in biochemical research, widely used for the Separation, purification, assessment of purity, and molecular weight determination of Proteins.

Polyacrylamide gel is formed by the copolymerization of acrylamide with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide:

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The polymerization reaction proceeds via a free-radical chain mechanism. The degree of cross-linking is regulated by The amount of bisacrylamide: the higher its concentration, the smaller the pore size.

The polyacrylamide matrix gel can be cast as a uniform thin layer between two plastic plates or inside a Glass tube. PAGE is characterized by a well-developed porosity, allowing particles migrating through the thin layer in an electric field to be separated based on their Q/r ratio (see above).

PAGE is a highly sensitive method that is both straightforward and convenient to set up. It does not damage labile protein molecules—a drawback often associated with other techniques—and provides high efficiency in resolving complex mixtures into individual components.



Last update: 06/08/2026

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