JPH05232086A - Damping device of support body for electrophoresis - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a damping device of a support body for electrophoresis in which its surface layer portion is not required to be co-washed by means of a buffer solution before use and the trouble of replenishing the buffer solution is not required and degeneration such as the ionic strength of the buffer solution becoming high can be restrained. CONSTITUTION:A damping device possesses a roller 12 having a surface layer portion 16 made of sponge or the like and a roller 18 made of a metal or the like. These rollers 12, 18 are housed in the container 20 of a buffer solution 21, and the container 20 is covered with a lid 22. The water level of the buffer solution 21 is raised to H by means of a pump 34 at the time of the non- operation of the device. The water level of the buffer solution 21 is lowered to L by means of a solenoid valve 40 at the time of operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for wetting a support for electrophoresis. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for wetting a support for electrophoresis such as a cellulose acetate membrane to which serum is applied with a buffer solution such as a solution of veronal / veronal soda when performing fractionation and quantification of serum proteins and the like. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional wetting device, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, has two rollers 1 and 2 whose surface layer portions 1a and 2a are made of thick sponge. The roller 1 is rotatably mounted between both side walls of the container 3, and its shaft 1b is connected to a driving device (not shown). Further, both ends of the shaft 2b of the roller 2 are inserted into vertical grooves 3a formed on both side walls of the container 3, the roller 1 is pressed against itself by its own weight, and the roller 2 is movably and vertically movable between the both side walls. ing. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a buffer solution 4 such as a solution of veronal / veronal soda is put in the container 3 up to the water level at which a part of the surface layer portion 1a of the roller 1 is immersed. Then, while rotating the roller 1 in the direction of arrow A, the support 5 such as a cellulose acetate film is moved to the direction of arrow B.
The substrate 5 was wetted with the buffer solution 4 contained in the surface layer portion 1a of the roller 1 by feeding the support 5 in the direction of the arrow and inserting it between the roller 1 and the roller 2.

[0003]

However, this type of device has the following disadvantages. In other words, if left unattended during non-operation, the sponge in the part not soaked in the buffer will dry and harden, so it is necessary to wash the sponge roller together with the buffer when using it the next day, for example. Occurs. If this co-washing is not carried out, wetting of the support becomes non-uniform and some areas are not wetted, resulting in problems such as distortion of the electrophoretic image. This makes co-washing essential, which makes daily maintenance laborious.

Further, the buffer solution in the portion soaked in the sponge evaporates faster than the buffer solution as it is in the container because the eyes of the sponge are porous. When the evaporation of the buffer solution is large, the ionic strength becomes high and the migration image cannot be extended.

Further, if the entire sponge is immersed in the buffer solution from the beginning, the effect of squeezing the support after wetting is not exerted, so that the entire support is not in a uniformly wet state, and serum is applied simultaneously. I can't. If the serum is applied at the same time, the adsorption of the serum on the support is not uniform, which causes a problem in the migration image. The present invention aims to provide a wetting device that overcomes these disadvantages.

[0006]

The apparatus for wetting a support for electrophoresis according to the present invention comprises a first roller having a surface layer portion made of a flexible water-absorbing substance, and a non-water-absorbing material for pressing the first roller. A second roller made of an organic substance, a buffer solution container for containing a buffer solution, and a lid for closing the buffer solution container, and means for immersing the entire first roller in the buffer solution when the apparatus is not in operation. Prepare

[0007]

Only the first roller has a surface layer portion formed of a water-absorbing substance such as sponge, and when the apparatus is not in operation, the entire first roller, that is, the entire surface layer portion is immersed in the buffer solution. In this case, the amount of the buffer solution required at this time is much smaller than the amount used in the co-washing required in the conventional example. During operation of the device, a part of the surface layer is immersed in an appropriate amount of buffer solution. Also, evaporation of the buffer solution can be suppressed.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The roller 12 has a metal roller 14 in the center thereof, and a water absorbing surface layer portion 16 made of a porous material such as sponge is provided around the metal roller 14. The roller 12 is rotatably supported inside a buffer solution container 20 containing a buffer solution 21 such as a solution of veronal veronal soda. Above the roller 12, a roller 18 made of a non-water-absorbing substance such as a metal having a non-porous surface is rotatably provided so as to press the surface layer portion 16 of the roller 12. The roller 18 is supported so as to be vertically movable so as to press the surface layer portion 16 by its own weight. Alternatively, the shaft center is forcibly attached to the roller 12. Shaft of roller 12 or metal roller 1
The shaft 8 is connected to a driving device (not shown), and its rotation causes the support 24 such as a cellulose acetate membrane to be fed from the left side to the right side in the drawing. The support 24 that has passed between the rollers is discharged to the outside of the apparatus via a guide 26 for transporting it in an appropriate direction.

The water level of the buffer solution 21 contained in the buffer solution container 20 is maintained at the position L in the figure when the apparatus is in operation.
The water level of the buffer solution 21 is maintained at the position H in the figure at night when the operation of the apparatus is stopped for a long time.
Float switches 28 and 30 as water level sensors are provided at these positions, respectively, and the water level of the buffer solution 21 in the buffer solution container 20 is adjusted by using the float switches 28 and 30. That is, when the water level of the buffer solution 21 is set to the H position, the pump 34 is operated, and the buffer solution container 32 is filled with the buffer solution in advance from the buffer solution container 20 via the liquid supply pipe 36.
The buffer solution is fed into the inside. Then, when the liquid level reaches the position H, the float switch 30 operates, and the operation of the pump 34 is stopped in response to this. As a result, the buffer solution 21
The water level of is kept at the H position. On the other hand, when the water level of the buffer solution 21 is set to the L position, the solenoid valve 40 is opened and the drain pipe 3
The buffer solution 21 in the buffer solution container 20 is discharged to the outside via 8. When the liquid level descends and reaches the position of L, the float switch 28 operates and the solenoid valve 40 is closed. The discharged buffer solution may be returned to the buffer solution tank 32.

When the apparatus is not used for a long time, the water level of the buffer solution 21 is kept at the H position. As a result, the surface layer portion 16 that absorbs the buffer solution is stored in a state of being immersed in the buffer solution due to the wetting of the support 24, so that the surface layer portion is prevented from hardening. Further, since the buffer solution container 20 is covered with the lid 22, the evaporation of the buffer solution 21 is suppressed.

A stable electrophoretic image can be obtained without daily manual washing with a buffer solution in the surface layer such as sponge, and the apparatus can be operated efficiently. Further, since unnecessary evaporation of the buffer solution is prevented, it is not necessary to replenish the buffer solution every day, and deterioration such as an increase in ionic strength of the buffer solution can be suppressed.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. This embodiment shows a wet roller unit that is attached to and detached from the electrophoresis apparatus. In the figure, the same members as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Both ends of the two rollers 12 and 18 are supported by two support plates 48 in a state where the axes of the rollers 12 and 18 are forced. These rollers 12 and 18 are rotatably supported by bearings 50 and 52, respectively. A gear (gear) 54 is provided at the shaft end of the roller 12, and is connected to the drive unit when the wet roller unit is attached to the apparatus main body. As a result, the rollers are rotated to convey the electrophoresis support such as a cellulose acetate film.

The support plate 48 is attached to the plate 44, and the plate 44 is provided with a handle 46 for carrying the wet roller portion. When the apparatus is not in operation, the wetting roller portion is removed from the apparatus main body and stored and stored in a buffer solution container 42 containing a buffer solution 21 such as veronal veronal soda as shown in the figure. At this time, the buffer container 42
Is filled with a buffer solution in such an amount that the entire roller 12 is dipped. When the wet roller part is housed in the buffer solution container 42,
The plate 44 closes the opening of the container 42 and prevents the buffer solution 21 from evaporating.

On the other hand, when the apparatus is in operation, the wet roller portion is mounted on the apparatus main body (not shown), and the roller 1
A part of the surface layer portion 16 of No. 2 is soaked with a buffer solution such as veronal veronal soda. At this time, in order to prevent the evaporation of the buffer solution, the buffer solution container 42 is covered with a lid (not shown).

Only the lower roller 12 has a surface layer portion 16 formed of sponge or the like, and the entire roller 12 is immersed in the buffer solution when the apparatus is not in operation, and a part of the roller is immersed when the apparatus is in operation. The amount of buffer solution required to keep the entire roller 12 immersed when the apparatus is not in operation is smaller than the amount required for co-washing, which has been conventionally required. Also,
Evaporation of the buffer solution can also be suppressed. Since the wetting roller unit is integrated, the operation only needs to be performed in the container containing the buffer solution at the end of the operation of the apparatus.

Since a stable electrophoretic image can be obtained without daily manual washing with a buffer solution for the surface layer such as sponge, the apparatus can be operated efficiently. Further, since it is possible to prevent useless evaporation of the buffer solution, it is possible to prevent the daily replenishment of the buffer solution, and it is possible to suppress deterioration such as an increase in the ionic strength of the buffer solution. Moreover, since only one buffer solution container is provided in addition to the device, an inexpensive device can be constructed.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. This embodiment has two buffer solution containers for operating and not operating the apparatus, and a mechanism for moving these containers.

As shown in FIG. 5, the wet roller portion 60 has a roller 12 having a surface layer portion 16 formed of a sponge or the like on the circumferential surface of a metal roller 14 and a roller 18 having a non-porous surface such as metal. However, these rollers are supported by the support plate 48 in a state where the axial center of the rollers is forcibly set,
Each roller is rotatable by bearings 50 and 52, respectively. The shaft of the metal roller 14 of the roller 12 is connected to a driving device via a gear (gear),
The rollers 12 and 1 are driven by this drive when the machine is operating.
8 is rotated and a support 24 such as a cellulose acetate membrane is rotated.
Are sent from the left side to the right side of the figure.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a container for containing a buffer solution such as Bernard Bernard soda is 2
One buffer solution container 56 and one buffer solution container 58 are prepared. The buffer solution container 56 is filled with a sufficient amount of buffer solution so that a part of the roller 12 is immersed therein. A buffer is added. These buffer containers 56
And 58 are integrated and supported by the guide jig 64 of the transfer mechanism. A rack is provided on the guide jig 64, and a pinion 66 engaged with the rack is attached to a motor 68 capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions. Therefore, by rotating the motor 68 in the forward and reverse directions, the buffer solution containers 56 and 58 can be moved in the left and right directions in the drawing. A housing 70 that houses the motor 68 is supported by a guide jig 72. A rack 74 is provided on the guide jig 72, and a pinion 76 engaged with the rack is attached to a shaft of a motor 78 capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions. As a result, the buffer containers 56 and 58 are moved in the vertical direction together with the housing 70 by rotating the motor 78 in the forward and reverse directions. The buffer solution containers 56 and 58 can be moved in the vertical and horizontal directions in the drawing as needed by the buffer solution container transfer mechanism configured by these mechanisms and a control circuit (not shown) that controls the motors 68 and 78.

During operation of the apparatus, buffer solution containers 56 and 58 are arranged at the positions shown in FIG. That is, the buffer container 56 is arranged in the wet roller portion 60 fixed to the apparatus, and as shown in FIG.
Soak in 1. At this time, the buffer solution container 58 is closed by the lid 62 fixed to the apparatus, and the buffer solution 21 inside the buffer solution container 58 is closed.
Evaporation is prevented.

The wet roller portion 60 is housed inside the buffer solution container 58 when the operation of the apparatus is stopped for a long time such as at night. To describe the procedure, first, the motor 78
To lower the buffer solution container, and then the motor 6
8 is rotated so that the buffer solution container 58 is directly below the roller portion 60. Then, the motor 78 is rotated again until the upper end of the buffer container 58 hits the plate 44.
Is raised, and the motor 78 is stopped at that position. As a result, the entire roller 12 is immersed in the buffer solution 21, and the buffer solution container 58 is covered by the plate 44.
When restarting the operation of the apparatus, the motor may be operated in the reverse order of the above.

Only the lower roller 12 has a surface layer portion 16 formed of sponge or the like, and the entire roller 12 is immersed in the buffer solution when the apparatus is not in operation, and a part of the roller is immersed when the apparatus is in operation. The amount of buffer solution required to keep the entire roller 12 immersed when the apparatus is not in operation is smaller than the amount required for co-washing, which has been conventionally required. Also,
Evaporation of the buffer solution can also be suppressed. During operation of the device
The liquid level of the buffer solution for immersing the roller 12 when not in operation can be automatically switched.

A stable electrophoretic image can be obtained without daily manual washing with a buffer solution for the surface layer such as sponge, so that the apparatus can be operated efficiently. Further, since it is possible to prevent useless evaporation of the buffer solution, it is not necessary to replenish the buffer solution every day, and deterioration such as an increase in ionic strength of the buffer solution can be suppressed.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. This embodiment is essentially the same as the third embodiment,
The difference is that the wet roller unit is attached to the transfer mechanism instead of the buffer solution container.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, two buffer solution containers 56 and 58 are fixed to the main body of the apparatus, and the buffer solution container 56 has an amount of buffer solution such that a part of the roller 12 is immersed therein. The buffer container 58 is filled with the buffer solution in such an amount that the entire roller 12 is immersed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wet roller portion 60 has a roller 12 having a surface layer portion 16 formed of sponge or the like on the peripheral surface of a metal roller 14 and a roller 18 having a non-porous surface such as metal. However, these rollers are supported by the support plate 48 in a state where the axial center of the rollers is forcibly set,
Each roller is rotatable by bearings 50 and 52, respectively. The shaft of the metal roller 14 of the roller 12 is connected to a driving device via a gear (gear),
The rollers 12 and 1 are driven by this drive when the machine is operating.
8 is rotated and a support 24 such as a cellulose acetate membrane is rotated.
Are sent from the left side to the right side of the figure.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wet roller portion 60 is connected to a transfer mechanism via a guide jig 64. Since the structure of the transfer mechanism has been described in the third embodiment, it is omitted here.

During the operation of the apparatus, the wetting roller portion 60 is arranged at the position shown in FIG. 6, and a part of the roller 12 is soaked with the buffer solution 21 as shown in FIG. At this time, the buffer container 58 is moved along with the wetting roller unit 60 into the plate 4.
It is covered by a lid 45 which is provided integrally with the nozzle 4 to prevent evaporation of the buffer solution 21 inside.

The wet roller unit 60 is housed inside the buffer solution container 58 when the operation of the apparatus is stopped for a long time such as at night. To describe the procedure, first, the motor 78
Is rotated to raise the wetting roller portion 60, and then the motor 68 is rotated so that the wetting roller portion 60 is located right above the buffer solution container 58. Then again the motor 78
Is rotated to lower the wetting roller unit 60 until the plate 44 contacts the upper end of the buffer solution container 58. As a result, the entire roller 12 is immersed in the buffer solution 21, and the buffer solution container 58 is covered by the plate 44 to prevent evaporation of the buffer solution.

Only the lower roller 12 has the surface layer portion 16 formed of sponge or the like, and the entire roller 12 is immersed in the buffer solution when the apparatus is not in operation, and a part of the roller is immersed when the apparatus is in operation. The amount of buffer solution required to keep the entire roller 12 immersed when the apparatus is not in operation is smaller than the amount required for co-washing, which has been conventionally required. Also,
Evaporation of the buffer solution can also be suppressed. During operation of the device
The liquid level of the buffer solution for immersing the roller 12 when not in operation can be automatically switched.

A stable electrophoretic image can be obtained without daily manual washing with a buffer solution for the surface layer such as sponge, so that the apparatus can be operated efficiently. Further, since it is possible to prevent useless evaporation of the buffer solution, it is not necessary to replenish the buffer solution every day, and deterioration such as an increase in ionic strength of the buffer solution can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the third embodiment and the fourth described above.
In the embodiment, the rack and pinion of the transfer mechanism may be replaced with a cam mechanism to simplify the motor control circuit.
In addition, although two buffer solution containers were prepared in the embodiment, the height of the liquid level of the buffer solution with respect to the roller 12 can be adjusted by moving the buffer solution container or the roller portion using a drive mechanism when the apparatus is operating and when it is not operating. Considering that the feature is to change with and, the number of buffer solution containers may be one. In this case, the height of the liquid surface of the buffer solution with respect to the roller 12 can be changed by simply moving the buffer solution container or the roller portion up and down.

[0034]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION Since a stable electrophoretic image can be obtained without daily manual washing with a buffer solution for the surface layer such as sponge, it is possible to operate the apparatus efficiently. .. Further, since it is possible to reduce the evaporation of the buffer solution except when the apparatus is in operation, it is possible to prevent deterioration such as an increase in the ionic strength of the buffer solution. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a stable electrophoretic image shape and electrophoretic image length without requiring great labor for maintenance. In addition, since the migration image is stable, the data obtained from it will be reliable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a wetting device for an electrophoretic support according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a wetting roller unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

3 shows a cross section of the wetting roller part shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of a wetting device for an electrophoretic support according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the wetting roller part shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of a wetting device for an electrophoretic support according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows the wetting roller portion shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional wetting device for an electrophoretic support.

9 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of the wetting device of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 ... Roller, 16 ... Surface layer part, 18 ... Roller, 20
... buffer solution container, 22 ... lid, 28, 30 ... float switch, 32 ... buffer solution tank, 34 ... pump, 40 ... solenoid valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A device for wetting a support for electrophoresis incorporated in an electrophoretic device, comprising: a first roller having a surface layer portion made of a flexible water-absorbing material; and a non-water-absorbing material that press-contacts the first roller. Second made of material
Of the electrophoretic support, which comprises: a roller, a buffer container for containing a buffer solution, and a member for closing the buffer solution container, and means for immersing the entire first roller in the buffer solution when the apparatus is not in operation. apparatus.