34
E-Gel
™
Power Snap Electrophoresis System User Guide
Troubleshooting
For common E-Gel
™
troubleshooting guidelines refer to troubleshooting guide (see page 35).
Observation
Cause
Recommended action
Poor resolution or
smearing of bands
Sample is overloaded
Do not exceed 500 ng of total DNA per one sample
lane or 500 ng DNA per one band. Do not exceed
1 µg for sheared DNA
High salt concentration
Dilute your samples 2- to 30-fold depending on the
E-Gel
™
type
Total sample volume is too low
or too high
Use recommended sample volume of
25 μL per
lane
Loading wells were not pre-
filled with deionized water prior
to loading the sample
Fill all gel wells with 50 μL of deionized water prior
to loading any sample or a ladder.
Samples were not prepared
properly
Prepare up to 25 μL of sample in 1X concentration
of 10X Sample Loading Buffer.
Low yield
Incorrect loading volume
chosen
Load up to 25 μL of prepared sample per well
Recovery wells were not filled
with water prior to elution
Once target fragment reaches reference line, pause
the run and fill all recover wells with deionized
water.
Target DNA passed the
recovery gel
Carefully observe the DNA migration into the
recovery well. Minimize ambient light or perform
the workflow in dark room.
DNA amount is too high
Collect DNA from the well in two or more fractions.
Be sure to load the recommended DNA amount.
Target DNA band cannot
be seen
High ambient light or low
sample amount
Perform the workflow in dark room environment to
minimize ambient lights
DNA band passed the
recovery gel
Selected protocol time was too
long
Choose the Reverse E-Gel program to run the band
backwards into the collection well
DNA migration exhibits
smiley effect
Extended gel run time or aged
gels used or incorrect loading
conditions
Do not run gels longer than 30 minutes. Use fresh
gel. Follow sample loading recommendations.