Final answer:
In SDS-PAGE, all of the following reagents are used: Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Tris-glycine buffer, Bromophenol blue, and β-mercaptoethanol. These reagents aid in denaturing proteins, maintaining pH, and tracking progress during the electrophoresis, enabling the separation of proteins by size.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reagents that are used in SDS-PAGE include Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which is a detergent that denatures proteins and imparts a negative charge to them, Tris-glycine buffer used to maintain a consistent pH during electrophoresis, Bromophenol blue which acts as a tracking dye, and β-mercaptoethanol, which can reduce disulfide bonds in proteins to assist in their denaturation. Therefore, the correct answer is 5) All of the above.
On the basis of protein size, proteins are separated in SDS-PAGE, with the SDS treatment serving to denature the proteins and confer a negative charge overall, which allows for separation solely based on molecular weight when an electric current is applied.