denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis

(Abbreviation: DGGE ). An electrophoresis method for separating similar sized DNA fragments on the basis of their sequence, by applying across the gel a gradient of increasingly denaturing conditions (usually by increasing the concentration of a denaturing chemical, such as formamide or urea). As the double-stranded molecules denature into a partially and eventually a fully single-stranded state, their electrophoretic mobility changes.