DNA Separation by Capillary Electrophoresis in Lyotropic Polymer Liquid Crystals

Electrophoresis is a critical separation method of molecular biology and biotechnology. Conventional electrophoresis of nucleic acids is conducted in gels, consisting of crosslinked polyacrylamide or agarose, that provide mechanical support and quench convection. A polymer network is also essential for separations, since the electrophoretic mobilities of nucleic acids in simple buffers depend only weakly, or not at all, on molecular size (1 ). In general terms, polymer networks separate by sorting molecules that differ in size and shape. The actual sorting mechanism depends on the size and flexibility of the particular nucleic acid, and the nature and concentration of the polymer support (2 –7 ).