title: Development of an integrated automation system with a magnetic bead-mediated nucleic acid purification device for genetic analysis and gene manipulation.
abstract: We have developed an integrated automation system for genetic analysis and gene manipulation. The system, SX-8G Plus, is equipped with an 8-nozzle dispensing unit, a thermal cycler, a cooled reagent reservoir, four tip storage racks, four microplate platforms, buffer reservoirs, an agarose gel electrophoresis unit, a power supply, a pump for exchanging electrophoresis buffer, and a CCD camera. Automation of nucleic acid extraction and purification, the most difficult step in automating genetic analysis and gene manipulation, was realized using magnetic beads with Magtration Technology, which we have previously developed for automating the handling of paramagnetic beads. Using this system, we could perform the automated separation and purification of DNA fragments by agarose gel electrophoresis starting from sample loading. The system would enable the automation of almost all procedures in genetic analysis and gene manipulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Naka-cho, Koganei, 184-8588, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun-Ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akutsu
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tojo
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Segawa
authors.forename: Kimimichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Obata
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okochi
authors.forename: Hideji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yohda
mesh_terms: D003201:Computers; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004867:Equipment Design; D005784:Gene Amplification; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D008280:Magnetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008863:Microspheres; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D043902:Pyrococcus horikoshii / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004247:DNA