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If each individual has such a small amount of DNA in their cells, how do the bands on the gel contain enough DNA to be visible?

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Iqta

Hi,

Yes, every individual cell has a small amount of DNA but it is important to understand that before gel electrophoresis (a process in which DNA becomes visible on gel), the DNA is extracted in substantial amounts from a living organism like 5 micro litre, 10 microlitre etc. The extracted DNA is not from only one cell but many cells, infact depends upon the size of sample from which we took DNA, like 10 leaves, 20 leaves etc.

Now, coming towards the question that how do the bands on the gel contain enough DNA to be visible?

In order to visualize DNA we use a gel called agarose gel mixed with a dye called ethidium bromide and this dye's function is to bind with DNA.

Now, ethidium bromide is a molecule that can glow brightly under appropriate conditions. The dye inserts itself into the nitrogenous bases of the DNA and this is the ability we use to visualize DNA. When DNA sample is loaded in the gel and we apply electricity it moves the DNA towards the positive electrode and the DNA fragments separate on the basis of size. Now when  the DNA is separated, we observe the gel under UV light. When UV light falls on the gel, ethidium bromide glows and we can see beautiful bands of DNA. Thus this is the molecule responsible for tagging and visualizing the DNA.


Hope it helps!

Ethidium bromide is sometimes wont to detect nucleic acids in biological science laboratories. Detection usually involves gels containing nucleic acids that are placed above or under UV. Because UV is harmful to the eyes and skin, a gel stained with ethidium bromide is sometimes seen indirectly employing a closed camera, with fluorescence images recorded as photographs.

Further Explanation

Ethidium bromide is an intercalation agent commonly used as a fluorescent tag (nucleic acid stain) in biological science laboratories for techniques like agarose gel electrophoresis. this is often commonly abbreviated as EtBr, which also stands for bromoethane. To avoid confusion, some laboratories have used the abbreviation EthBr. When exposed to UV, it'll glow in orange, intensifying almost 20 times after binding with DNA.

Nucleic acids are biopolymers, or small biomolecules, important for all known life forms. The term macromolecule is that the overall name for DNA and RNA. They encompass nucleotides, which are monomers fabricated from three components: 5 carbon sugars, phosphate groups, and nitrogen bases. If sugar may be a ribose compound, the polymer is RNA (ribonucleic acid); if the sugar comes from ribose as deoxyribose, the polymer is DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

The macromolecule is that the most vital of all biomolecules. These are found abundantly all told living things, where they function to form and encode and so store information from every living cell of each living organism on Earth. In turn, they function to transmit and express that information inside and outdoors the nucleus - to the inside operations of the cell and ultimately to successive generation of each living organism.

Learn more

Definition of Ethidium bromide disease https://brainly.com/question/11566527

Definition of Nucleic acids https://brainly.com/question/11566527

Details

Grade: Middle school

Subject: Biology

keywords: Ethidium bromide