What is Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis

Two-dimensional gel electro-processing or 2d gel electrophoresis is the main procedure that is utilized for advanced proteomics work. As discussed in this YouTube video, the 2d gel electrophoresis process works to separate and organize the complex mixture of samples being prepared for testing and research analysis. This process is achieved by taking advantage of two different properties of the proteins to differentiate between the two. First, proteins are separated by the pI value and second, they are separated by the relative molecular weight.

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It is a very complicated process, but this video does a good job at addressing this concept and offering a good overview.

The principle of 2d gel electrophoresis has a number of scientific and research-based applications. Scientists can isolate and separate proteins and put them into a gel using isoelectric focusing (IEF), which separates proteins. This primary dimension is related to their isoelectric point, followed by electrophoresis in a second dimension. In most processes, it is the use of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which separates proteins and allows for the 2d gel electrophoresis pr.