A molecular technologist has run a vertical gel. While analyzing the gel, the technologist notices that the bands in the outer lanes did not run as far as similar-sized bands in the inner lanes, so the bands look like a smile on the gel. What is the explanation for this?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described, where bands in the outer lanes do not run as far as those in the inner lanes, resulting in a "smiling" effect, is typically due to uneven heating across the gel. The inner parts of the gel tend to get warmer than the edges during electrophoresis, leading to faster migration of the molecules in the center compared to those at the edges. This temperature gradient is the reason for the uneven migration and the observed effect.

A Molecular Technologist Has Run a Vertical Gel