Protein Electrophoresis Buffers & Reagents

Protein electrophoresis is a routine laboratory method for separating proteins by size, most commonly on polyacrylamide gels. While separations can be carried out under denaturing (SDS-PAGE) or non-denaturing conditions (native PAGE), the associated buffers and reagents remain mostly consistent. Polyacrylamide gels are constructed through the cross-linking of acrylamide and bisacrylamide, with a consistency that can be adjusted depending on the experiment. Polymerization is initiated by the addition of TEMED and ammonium persulfate to produce a solid gel. The detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is often added in both the gel and buffers to denature the loaded proteins. Prior to loading, protein samples must be combined with a protein loading buffer, generally containing glycerol, a reducing agent (such as DTT or mercaptoethanol), and a tracking dye. Common protein gel running buffers include tris-glycine, MES, and MOPS solutions. Here we have catalogued various protein electrophoresis reagents across different suppliers.