Comparison of nucleic acid-protein interactions in solution and in polyacrylamide gels

The properties of nucleic acid-protein complexes in polyacrylamide gels and in solution have been compared. Transcription by RNA polymerase from a lac DNA template within a gel yields products which are the same as those obtained in solution. Likewise the dissociation rates of DNA-protein complexes in a gel are found to be identical to the solution values. Thus complexes existing in bands during gel electrophoresis behave quite normally. There seems to be no "caging" effect, at least not in a typical 5% polyacrylamide gel (30:1, acrylamide: bisacrylamide); the gel matrix does not hinder separation of DNA and protein molecules which have dissociated.