[Separation of proteins on microchip electrophoresis and its comparison with DNA migration]

The efficient separation of six standard proteins on a home-made poly (dimethylsiloxane) microchip with an auto-deducting background diode laser induced fluorescence detector was accomplished within 6.4 min under the sieving matrix of 10 g/L hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), 1 g/L sodium dodecyl sulphonate (SDS), 40 mmol/L phosphate buffer at pH 7.0. The experimental results showed that the reproducibility of protein separation was satisfactory and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of protein migration time were less than 10%. The migration times of the proteins are analyzed by a quantitative mathematical model of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) proposed by ourselves previously. The results showed that the migration character of SDS-protein complexes was similar with DNA. However, the linear relationships between the mobilities of SDS-protein complexes and their relative molecular mass as well as electric field strength became worse, which indicated the mathematical model for DNA separation should be revised before it is used for protein separation.