DNA profiling by capillary array electrophoresis with non-covalent fluorescent labeling

Increasing need for large-scale DNA profiling necessitated the development of automated electrophoresis based methods enabling rapid, high performance analysis of nucleic acids in a wide molecular-mass range. In this paper, we report on the adaptation of a commercial 96-capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) instrument for high-throughput DNA fragment analysis and the evaluation of the effects of different non-covalent DNA staining dyes on separation efficiency. The applicability of different color internal fluorescent standards is shown with mathematical spectral overlap correction algorithms. Large-scale quality control assessment of oligonucleotide probes using non-covalent fluorophore labeling is also demonstrated. The method requires small sample amounts, offers automation and quantification capabilities to accommodate modern biotechnology industry needs.