Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, a technique that separates proteins by molecular weight under denaturing conditions. SDS coats proteins with negative charges, eliminating charge differences so separation depends only on size.
Named after the detergent SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), developed in the 1970s. The technique revolutionized protein analysis by providing a standardized way to determine protein molecular weights.
SDS is like a molecular straightjacket that unfolds all proteins and coats them with the same negative charge per unit length! This means a 50 kDa protein will always run at the same position regardless of whether it's an enzyme, antibody, or structural protein.
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