DNA Length Ranges Exhibiting Distinct Separation Mechanisms in Gel Electrophoresis
Abstract
Electrophoresis was performed on double stranded DNA ranging from 200 to 194,000 bp in agarose gel concentrations from 0.4% - 1.3%. The electric field was varied from 0.62 to 6.21 V/cm. A wide range of electric fields and gel concentrations were used to study how the new interpolation equation, frac1μ(L) = frac1μL - (frac1μL - frac1μ_s)e^-L/γ (where μ_L, μ_s, and γ are independent free fitting parameters), helps to distinguish among different mechanisms of molecular transport. This exponential relation fits well when there is a smooth transition from Ogston sieving to reptation. These transitions are distinguished by so-called ``reptation plots" (plotting 3μ L/μ_rc vs. L) (J. Rousseau, G. Drouin, and G. W. Slater, Phys Rev Lett. 1997, 79, 1945-1948). Fits deviate from the data more than two characteristic trends are observed in the reptation plots. The failure of the fits to follow the data appears to be a consequence of another separation mechanism, ``entropic trapping," occurring between the sieving and reptation regimes. The boundaries between length and field ranges where different separation mechanisms dominate are extracted from reptation plots of the best fits and the data. ``Phase diagrams" expressing these boundaries are derived.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003APS..MAR.D9003B