title: Mean free path and peak dispersion in the geometration motion in gel electrophoresis.
abstract: The concept of the mean free path, i.e., the mean distance between subsequent collisions of DNA molecules with gel fibers, is introduced to the model description of the geometration effect. A new formula is derived for the correction to the velocity v of long molecules in gel due to the geometration process: v = v(r)/(1+3s/4b), where v(r) is the velocity without geometration, s is the molecule length and b is the mean free path of molecules. The peak dispersion sigma(x) is evaluated with the same model approach. We get the contribution to the bandwidth from the geometration effect. For b = s the bandwidth is about 2(sx)(1/2), where x is the length of the path of the molecules in gel. The results are compared with experimental data on the linearized plasmid pKecNOS in 4% agarose gel.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Techniques, University of Mining and Metallurgy, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Krawczyk
authors.forename: Józef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dulak
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kułakowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA