TAE buffer

TAE buffer is a buffer solution containing a mixture of Tris base, acetic acid and EDTA.

In molecular biology, it is used in agarose electrophoresis typically for the separation of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA.[1] It is made up of Tris-acetate buffer, usually at pH 8.3, and EDTA, which sequesters divalent cations. TAE has a lower buffer capacity than TBE and can easily become exhausted, but linear, double stranded DNA runs faster in TAE.

Previously, Brody & Kern simplified electrophoretic buffers by substituting TBE and TAE buffers for a more efficient and inexpensive conductive media in gel systems.[2]

  1. ^ Ogden, R.C., and Adams, D.A., (1987) Electrophoresis in agarose and acrylamide gels. Methods Enzymol., 152:, 61-87.
  2. ^ Brody, J.R., Kern, S.E. (2004) History and principles of conductive media for standard DNA electrophoresis. Anal Biochem. 333(1):1-13. doi:10.1016/j.ab.2004.05.054 PMID 15351274 PDF