CE of Small DNA Fragments Using Linear Polyacrylamide Matrices

Capillary electrophoresis of DNA with high resolution based on copoly(pentaerythritoltetra succinimidylcarboxypentyl/aminopropyl polyoxyethylene) hydrogel

Capillary gel electrophoresis is widely applied for determination of sequence and size of DNA, in which the sieving gel plays an unignorable role. Herein, a pore-size controllable hydrogel was synthesized in the capillary with two symmetrical tetrahedron-like macromonomers consisting of pentaerythritoltetra (succinimidylcarboxypentyl) polyoxyethylene (PS) and pentaerythritoltetra (aminopropyl) polyoxyethylene) (PA). By capillary electrophoresis of the DNA fragments with this hydrogel, it is found that a homogenous structure of hydrogel which is more suitable for the DNA separation can be achieved when the molecular weight of PA is approximate to that of PS. DNA fragments smaller than 1500 bp can be well resolved in this hydrogel within 13 min. More than 100 consecutive runs can be carried out in such a dynamically coated capillary before performance begins to degrade. Notably, such hydrogel can realize separation of dsDNA up to single base pair resolution and same length of dsDNA with 1 bp difference.

Capillary electrophoresis applied to DNA: determining and harnessing sequence and structure to advance bioanalyses (2009-2014)

This review of capillary electrophoresis methods for DNA analyses covers critical advances from 2009 to 2014, referencing 184 citations. Separation mechanisms based on free-zone capillary electrophoresis, Ogston sieving, and reptation are described. Two prevalent gel matrices for gel-facilitated sieving, which are linear polyacrylamide and polydimethylacrylamide, are compared in terms of performance, cost, viscosity, and passivation of electroosmotic flow. The role of capillary electrophoresis in the discovery, design, and characterization of DNA aptamers for molecular recognition is discussed. Expanding and emerging techniques in the field are also highlighted.