Publication: End-Labeled Free Solution Electrophoresis (ELFSE) of DNA
All || By Area || By Year| Title | End-Labeled Free Solution Electrophoresis (ELFSE) of DNA | Authors/Editors* | R J Meagher, J Won, L C McCormick, S Nedelcu, M Bertrand, J L Bertram, G Drouin, A E Barron, G W Slater |
|---|---|
| Where published* | Electrophoresis |
| How published* | None |
| Year* | 2005 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Number | 0 |
| Pages | |
| Publisher | xxxxx |
| Keywords | Capillary electrophoresis, DNA sequencing, free-solution electrophoresis |
| Link | |
| Abstract |
DNA is a free-draining polymer. This subtle but unfortunate property of highly charged polyelectrolytes makes it impossible to separate nucleic acids by free-flow electrophoresis. This is why one must typically use a sieving matrix, such as a gel or an entangled polymer solution, in order to obtain some electrophoretic size separation. An alternative approach consists in breaking the charge to friction balance of free-draining DNA molecules. This can be achieved by labeling the DNA with a large, uncharged molecule (essentially a hydrodynamic parachute, which we also call a drag-tag) prior to electrophoresis; the resulting methodology is called End-Labeled Free-Solution Electrophoresis (ELFSE). In this article, we review the development of ELFSE over the last decade. In particular, we examine the theoretical concepts used to predict the ultimate performance of ELFSE for ssDNA sequencing, the experimental results showing that ELFSE can indeed overcome the free-draining issue raised above, and the technological advances in progress that are needed to speed the development of competitive ELFSE-based sequencing and separation technologies. Finally, we also review the reverse process, called Free-Solution Conjugate Electrophoresis (FSCE), wherein uncharged polymers of different sizes can be analyzed using a short DNA molecule as an electrophoretic engine. |
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