What is polyacrylamide gel primarily used for?

Polyacrylamide gel is primarily used for electrophoresis of proteins, making it a vital tool in biochemistry and molecular biology laboratories. This method allows for the separation of proteins based on their size and charge, facilitating analysis and characterization of complex protein mixtures. The gel acts as a molecular sieve, meaning that smaller proteins can move through the gel matrix more easily than larger ones.

Using polyacrylamide gel for protein electrophoresis, researchers can visualize and quantify proteins after the separation process. This technique is essential for various applications, including protein purification, analysis of post-translational modifications, and determination of protein molecular weight.

While polyacrylamide gels can also be utilized in other contexts, such as separating nucleic acids or analyzing DNA sequences, these applications are generally less common than its use in protein electrophoresis. Therefore, the primary purpose of polyacrylamide gel in laboratory settings is indeed for electrophoresis of proteins.