15/11/2018
Page 9
Tape
1. Autoclave or plastic backed general tape should be used. A length
5cm longer than the width of each end of the tray should be cut. One
length should be placed over one end of the tray and stuck m1cm in
from the tray edge. This should then be folded, and the edges sealed
securely. Repeat for the other end and place onto a level surface for
gel pouring.
2. Place the comb(s) in the grooves. Each tray has more than one comb
grove so that multiple combs can be used. Using multiple combs
increases sample number available per gel but decreases run length
and care must be taken to ensure that samples from the first wells do
not migrate into the lanes of the second comb wells.
3. Pour in the agarose carefully so as not to generate bubbles. Any
bubbles that do occur can be smoothed to the edge of the gel and
dispersed using a pipette tip.
4. Allow the agarose to set, ensuring that the gel remains undisturbed.
5. Carefully remove the gel casting gates and comb and transfer the gel
including tray to the main tank.
Running the Gel
1. Mix the sample to be loaded with sample buffer – see solutions for
common sample buffers. Usually 3ul of sample buffer is adequate but
less may be used with sample volumes of less than 10ul.
2. Fill the unit with buffer until the gel is just flooded with buffer. This will give
the fastest resolution times. For enhanced quality of resolution of
sample, fill the unit to 5mm above the gel.
3. Load the samples into the wells using pipettes. Multi-channel pipettes
can be used for loading samples with MC compatible combs, see
listing in accessories for identification of these.
4. Carefully place the lid on the tank and connect to a power supply.
5. Typically, gels are run at between 90 and 150 volts. However, maximum
voltages are indicated on the serial badge of each unit. It should be
noted that higher voltages generally give faster but poorer quality
sample resolution.
