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，并提供高灵敏度和高分辨率的结果。然而，美丽的分离图案只有在凝胶染色后才可能被可视化。本研究的目的是建立一种利用纹影光学系统实时显示聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳图谱的方法，其结果是可以用纹影光学系统检测核酸的蛋白质条带，其灵敏度可与常规染色方法相媲美。图像分析仪与光学器件一起使用使得可以存储和分析由个人计算机获得的数据。光学器件还可以用于定位样品带而不对相应部分进行染色和采样以用于样品收集。该光学器件还可有效地用于在浓缩的无交联剂聚丙烯酰胺溶液中分离蛋白质条带的可视化。由于这种线性聚合物溶液现在发现作为毛细管电泳介质的实用价值，在本研究中开发的纹影光学应该提供基本的数据，这可能是有效的设计这种介质的毛细管电泳。

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.