The Agarose Used in Electrophoresis

Question

The agarose used in electrophoresis
A) interacts electrically with the DNA.
B) chemically binds to the DNA.
C) separates DNA fragments by size.
D) selectively sorts recombinant DNA from host DNA.
E) denatures DNA/RNA.

Accepted Answer

Agarose is a polysaccharide that forms a gel-like matrix when dissolved in an appropriate buffer and cooled. The gel has pores of different sizes that allow for the separation of DNA fragments based on their size. This property makes agarose an ideal media for electrophoresis of DNA.