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  5. Types of Agarose

Lonza’s types of agarose for DNA/RNA gel electrophoresis

Types of agarose

Application

Fragment size

Low melting temperature1

High gel strength2

Performance certified3

SeaKem® Gold Agarose

PFGE, Large fragment analysis

1 kb – 10 Mb

X

X

SeaPlaque® GTG® Agarose

In-gel reactions, DNA and RNA recovery, cloning

200 bp – 25 kb

X

X

SeaPlaque® Agarose

DNA and RNA recovery, cloning

200 bp – 25 kb

X

SeaKem® GTG® Agarose

DNA and RNA recovery, cloning

100 bp – 23 kb

X

X

SeaKem® LE Agarose

Routine analysis, blotting

100 bp – 23 kb

X

NuSieve® GTG® Agarose

DNA and RNA recovery, cloning

50 bp – 1 kb

X

X

NuSieve® 3:1 Agarose

PCR, blotting

50 bp – 1 kb

X

MetaPhor® Agarose

Fine resolution

20 bp – 800 bp

SeaPrep® Agarose

Cell cloning, cell embedding

n/a

X

1 Low melt agarose results in gels with lower melting points (≤ 65°C) than standard types of agarose allowing to remelt the agarose without melting the DNA double helix. Hence, low melt agarose is used, for example, for DNA cloning procedures performed directly in remelted agarose or nucleic acid recovery from gels.

2 Agaroses forming robust and easy-to-handle gels for routine applications and blotting. Gel strength of gels from these types of agarose is 1200 g/cm2 and higher while gel strengths, expressed in g/cm2, is defined as the force that must be applied to fracture an agarose gel of a standard concentration.

3 Genetic Technology Grade® (GTG®) Certified types of agarose yield biologically active DNA. GTG® Agaroses are performance tested in recovery, in-gel reactions and downstream enzymatic applications.

Agarose Tests

Difference in resolution of standard and specialty agarose gels

Specialty agaroses for DNA and RNA electrophoresis

It’s important to use the right tool for the job. Using multipurpose agarose or suboptimal agarose for a particular application can waste time, money and resources. Poor nucleic acid fragment separation, unstable gels and inability to recover nucleic acids are just a few of the unintended consequences of not using types of agarose specifically designed for an application.

Covering the widest range of nucleic acid electrophoresis applications, our specialty agarose types are optimized for the unique requirements of your molecular biology techniques. We provide specialty types of agarose designed for RNA and DNA electrophoresis, PFGE for large fragment analysis, PCR fragment analysis, DNA and RNA recovery and cloning, and Northern and Southern blotting. Our agarose offerings also include types of agarose appropriate for special applications, such as viral plaque assays, cell culture, cDNA library expansion and comet assays.

Get started today with the right type of agarose for your DNA or RNA experiments.

Find out more tips and tricks

Get further help to find the right agarose and conditions for your DNA and RNA agarose gel electrophoresis application. 

 

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SeaKem® LE Agarose

Ideal agarose for routine analysis of nucleic acids by gel electrophoresis and blotting. Forming strong gels with low background upon staining.

 

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Specialty Agarose for Protein Electrophoresis

Addressing the need for reliable protein electrophoresis, Lonza also offers a variety of specialty agaroses specifically suited for protein electrophoresis.

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