A simple and practical method that prepares high molecular weight DNA ladders.

The purpose of the current study was to report a simple and practical method to prepare high molecular weight (mw) DNA ladders. The method involves 1,000-4,000-base pairs (bp) DNA fragments being amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using λ DNA as a template. The constructed plasmids are digested by restriction endonucleases to produce 5-, 6-, 8- and 10-kb DNA fragments, followed by purification and precipitation with ethanol, and mixed proportionally. The 1,000-4,000-bp DNA fragments were successfully generated by PCR and 5-, 6-, 8- and 10-kb DNA fragments were obtained through the digestion of the plasmids. The bands of the prepared high mw DNA ladder were clear and may aid future molecular biology studies.