A viscosity-tunable polymer for DNA separation by microchip electrophoresis

Daisuke Kuroda, Yong Zhang, Jun Wang, Noritada Kaji, Manabu Tokeshi, Yoshinobu Baba

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A thermo-responsive separation matrix, consisting of Pluronic F127 tri-block copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide), was used to separate DNA fragments by microchip electrophoresis. At low temperature, the polymer matrix was low in viscosity and allowed rapid loading into a microchannel under low pressure. With increasing temperatures above 25°C, the Pluronic F127 solution forms a liquid crystalline phase consisting of spherical micelles with diameters of 17-19 nm. The solution can be used to separate DNA fragments from 100 bp to 1500 bp on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chips. This temperature-sensitive and viscosity-tunable polymer provided excellent resolution over a wide range of DNA sizes. Separation is based on a different mechanism compared with conventional matrices such as methylcellulose. To illustrate the separation mechanism of DNA in a Pluronic F127 solution, DNA molecular imaging was performed by fluorescence microscopy with F127 polymer as the separation matrix in microchip electrophoresis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2543-2549
Number of pages7
JournalAnalytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
Volume391
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2008
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Biochemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A viscosity-tunable polymer for DNA separation by microchip electrophoresis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this