JP2500120Y2 - Slab gel electrophoresis device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is a slab-like gel sample of a gel electrophoresis apparatus for a nucleic acid fragment sample pretreated by the Sanger method using a fluorescent primer (a primer chemically bound with a fluorescent substance as a label). An on-line base that determines the base sequence by the data processor by detecting the fluorescence during the migration by the excitation / detection system that scans in the direction orthogonal to the migration direction, by inserting each terminal base into the injection part and allowing them to migrate simultaneously. The present invention relates to a slab gel electrophoresis device used in a sequencer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an on-line nucleotide sequencer using a slab gel, a nucleic acid fragment previously processed by the Sanger method has a terminal base type A (adenine), G (guanine), T (thymine), C (cytosine). A) Electrophoresis in separate migration lanes according to

In a gel electrophoresis apparatus, particularly a gel electrophoresis apparatus used in a DNA base sequencer, the temperature is raised in order to keep the electrophoresis conditions constant and prevent the DNA from forming a secondary structure. The non-uniformity of the migration speed due to the migration lane called “” is a problem. This is attributed to the fact that there is a temperature difference depending on the migration lane, and many efforts have been made in the past. As for the device from the viewpoint of making the temperature of the electrophoretic gel uniform, the device shown in the following (a) to (c) has been made.

(A) An electrophoretic gel holding plate to which a surface heater is simply attached. As shown in FIG. 3, the surface heater 12 is attached to one of the holding plates 4a and 4b such as a glass plate holding the electrophoretic gel 2 via a metal plate 10. The surface heater 12 uniformly heats the electrophoretic gel 2 through the metal plate 10. (B) The electrophoretic gel is housed in a sealable container, and the temperature of the electrophoretic gel is made uniform by circulating air controlled at a constant temperature (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-143145). (C) Uniform the temperature of the electrophoresis gel by cooling with water (for example,
Anal. Biochem. Vol.115, pp.450-457).

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the invention] (b) and (c)
Both methods have complicated structures. Particularly, in the method (c), due to the use of liquid, great care must be taken regarding leakage and electric leakage. As shown in (a), if the surface heater is simply attached to the metal plate that is in close contact with the holding plate of the electrophoretic gel,
The temperature unevenness due to the structure of the nichrome wire in the surface heater immediately appears as the temperature unevenness of the electrophoretic gel, which causes smiles. The present invention aims to make the temperature of the electrophoretic gel uniform with a simple structure.

[0006]

In the present invention, a high thermal conductivity plate is brought into close contact with a holding plate for holding an electrophoretic gel, and a heating means is attached to the high thermal conductivity plate via a gas layer sealed.

[0007]

The heat generated by the heating means warms the sealed gas. The temperature of the gas becomes uniform due to natural convection. The high thermal conductivity plate, which is in contact with the gas whose temperature has become uniform, is heated to a uniform temperature, and eventually the electrophoretic gel is also heated to a uniform temperature.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment. Two
Is a slab-like migration gel, and polyacrylamide gel is used. The electrophoresis gel 2 includes two holding plates 4a and 4b.
And has a thickness of, for example, about 0.25 mm. The holding plates 4a and 4b are glass plates having a thickness of about 5 mm, for example. An aluminum plate 6 having a thickness of about 3 mm is in close contact with one holding plate 4a as a high thermal conductivity plate, and an aluminum plate having a thickness of about 3 mm is placed on the aluminum plate 6 via a frame 8 of a heat insulating material. A plate 10 is provided.
The frame 8 is made of, for example, a vinyl chloride plate having a thickness of about 3 mm. A closed space 14 is formed by the two aluminum plates 6 and 10 and the frame 8, and air is confined in the closed space 14.

A surface heater 12 is mounted on the aluminum plate 10. The surface heater 12 is, for example, a silicon rubber heater (a product of Kawai Electric Co., Ltd.). The aluminum plate 10 and the surface heater 12 constitute a heating means. Instead of the aluminum plates 6 and 10, other high thermal conductivity metal plates may be used.

The aluminum plate 6, the frame 8 and the aluminum plate 10 can be fixed to each other with screws or an adhesive. The holding plate 4a and the aluminum plate 6 can be brought into close contact with each other to be mechanically held, and the surface heater 12 can be brought into close contact with the aluminum plate 10 to be held mechanically or fixed with an adhesive.

The operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 which is a vertical sectional view of the embodiment. The heat of the surface heater 12 once warms the air in the closed space through the aluminum plate 10.
Since the air is confined, natural convection occurs inside as in A, and even if the aluminum plate 10 has uneven temperature, the temperature is made uniform and transmitted to the aluminum plate 6. As a result, the aluminum plate 6 is uniformly heated, then the holding plate 4a is also uniformly heated, and eventually the electrophoretic gel 2 is also uniformly heated.

[0012]

[Effect of the Invention] In the present invention, the high thermal conductivity plate is closely attached to the holding plate for holding the electrophoretic gel, and the high thermal conductivity plate is provided with the heating means through the gas layer closed. Are homogenized by the gas layer, and the electrophoretic gel is heated uniformly. Thereby, the temperature of the electrophoretic gel can be set without temperature unevenness.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a slab gel electrophoresis apparatus provided with a conventional homogenizing means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Electrophoresis gel 4a, 4b Holding plate 6,10 Aluminum plate 8 Frame 12 Surface heater

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A labeled nucleic acid fragment sample is divided into four migration lanes according to the types of terminal bases and simultaneously subjected to gel electrophoresis, and a signal emitted from the nucleic acid fragment sample is scanned in a direction orthogonal to the migration direction to carry out online implementation. In a slab gel electrophoresis device that is used in a base sequencer that acquires the time and determines the base sequence in a data processing device, a high thermal conductivity plate is closely attached to a holding plate that holds the electrophoretic gel, and the high thermal conductivity plate is hermetically sealed. A slab gel electrophoresis apparatus characterized in that a heating means is attached through the formed gas layer.