A program which automatically quantitates gel electrophoretic autoradiograms.
The use of a computer-coupled film scanner to measure and analyze autoradiograms of gel electropherograms is described. A program has been written which fits Gaussian curves to the complex band pattern that constitutes a density profile without the need for estimated parameters in the input. The great majority of the fits are satisfactory. This program, which is written in FORTRAN, runs on a small, inexpensive computer. Another program which approximates a Gaussian least squares fit has been run for comparison; this procedure can also be used to refine occasional unsatisfactory fits. Finally, a program has been written which sums the density profile within specified limits, so that the integrated intensities of bands due to isolated protein components may be found.
Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.
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D000465:Algorithms; D001345:Autoradiography / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D016011:Normal Distribution; D012984:Software; D012985:Software Design