In case of electrophoresis of single stranded DNA or RNA, which type of gels are used ?

(a) Renaturing
(b) Denaturing
(c) The routine agarose gel
(d) The routine polyacrylamide gel

The correct answer is:

(b) Denaturing

Explanation of electrophoresis of single stranded DNA or RNA

In electrophoresis of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or RNA, denaturing gels are used to prevent the formation of secondary structures due to intramolecular base pairing. These secondary structures can affect migration patterns, leading to inaccurate size estimation.

• Denaturing polyacrylamide gels (such as Urea-PAGE) or denaturing agarose gels (formamide/formaldehyde-based) are commonly used.
• Denaturing agents like urea or formamide disrupt hydrogen bonding, ensuring that nucleic acids remain in their linear form for proper separation based on size.

Thus, option (b) Denaturing is the correct choice. ✅