title: Miniaturised isotachophoresis of DNA.
abstract: This paper presents the findings of a feasibility study investigating the behaviour of DNA under conditions of miniaturised isotachophoresis. An electrolyte system comprising a leading electrolyte of 5mM perchloric acid at pH 6.0 and a terminating electrolyte of 10mM gallic acid was devised and used to perform isotachophoresis of DNA containing samples on a miniaturised poly(methyl methacrylate) device. Under such conditions it was found that no separation of DNA fragments was observed with the substance migrating instead as a single isotachophoretic zone. Whilst such a result shows the method is unsuitable for analysis DNA it offers significant potential as a means of sample preparation for subsequent analysis using another method. This is because the single zone of DNA formed is preconcentrated to a constant concentration governed by the leading ion and is separated from all species with different effective electrophoretic mobilities.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. j.prest@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jeff E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Prest
authors.forename: Sara J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Baldock
authors.forename: Philip J R
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Fielden
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Goddard
authors.forename: Bernard J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Treves Brown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D008904:Miniaturization / Q000379:methods*; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D012474:Salmon / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate