= Western blot separation
In the common <SDS-PAGE> version, <protein denaturation> and binding of an anionic <surfactant> reduce differences due to folded shape and intrinsic <electric charge>. An <electric field> drives the resulting <protein> complexes through the gel; smaller chains generally migrate farther. A lane of reference <proteins> supplies positions for estimating apparent <mass>. This estimate depends on the separation conditions: it is not a direct weighing of a <molecule>, and different <proteins> can migrate together.
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