Development of a Schlieren Optics for Real-Time Visualization of Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳适用于蛋白质和核酸的分析和分离，具有高灵敏度和高分辨率的结果。然而，只有在凝胶染色后才能看到美丽的分离图案。本研究的目的是建立一种方法，通过使用纹影光学技术，可以实时显示聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳中的电泳模式。作为我们努力的结果，现在可以用光学仪器检测核酸的蛋白质带，其灵敏度可与常规染色程序相媲美。使用图像分析仪和光学元件可以存储和分析由个人计算机获得的数据。该光学器件还可用于不染色的样品带的定位，并对相应的部分进行采样以进行样品收集。光学也可以有效地用于可视化蛋白质带分离的浓缩无交联剂聚丙烯酰胺溶液。由于这种线性聚合物溶液作为毛细管电泳介质具有实用价值，因此本研究发展的纹影光学应该为有效设计这种毛细管电泳介质提供基础数据。

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is suitable for analysis and separation of proteins and nucleic acids, and gives results with high sensitivity and high resolution. Beautiful patterns of separation is, however, only possible to be visualized after staining of the gel. The aim of the present study was to establish a method by which electrophoretic patterns in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis can be visualized in a real-time mode by the use of schlieren optics.As the outcome of our effort, bands of proteins of nucleic acids can now be detected by the optics with sensitivity comparable to the routine conventional staining procedures. Use of an image analyzer together with the optics makes it possible to store and analyze the data obtained by a personal computer. The optics can also be utilized for localization of a sample band without staining and sampling the corresponding part for sample collection. The optics can also be effectively used for visualization of separation of protein bands in a concentrated crosslinker-free polyacrylamide solution. Since such linear polymer solutions are now finding practical value as media for capillary electrophoreses, the schlieren optics developed in the present study should provide basic data which may be efficient in designing such media for capillary electrophoresis.