Agarose gel can be used for the separation of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and high molecular weight proteins or protein complexes.
The process of using agarose gel to separate or fractionate biomolecules under the influence of electric field is called agarose gel electrophoresis.
For moderate and large sized DNA, agarose gel is the most commonly used medium in most molecular biology laboratories.
As the name suggest, the agarose gel is prepared from agarose.
Chemically, agarose is a polysaccharide, made up of alternating residues of 1,3-linked β-D-galactopyranose and 1,4-linked 3,6-anhydro-α- L-galactopyranose.