Electrophoresis of small proteins in highly concentrated and crosslinked polyacrylamide gradient gels

A high concentration (40%) of acrylamide plus N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide combined with a high level of crosslinking (12.5%) yielded clear gels capable of restricting the passage of small proteins. This gel composition was chosen in preference to other combinations, in particular those producing opaque gels which have larger pore sizes and which provide a reduced sieving effect. Gradient gels were prepared in which the gel concentration rose from 3 to 40% and the degree of crosslinking increased from 4 to 12.5%. Such gels were suitable for fractionating crude, unreduced, and uncharacterized extracts containing proteins ranging in molecular size from 10,000 to several million daltons under conditions where all proteins are retained on the gel even after prolonged electrophoresis. The gels yielded zones which were of improved sharpness and resolution compared with gels of lower concentration and degree of crosslinking, and can be used to provide an estimate of molecular size. Examples of the use of HX gradient gels included both anodic and cathodic electrophoresis at pH 8.3 and 3.1, respectively, of serum and cereal-grain proteins and a partial enzymic hydrolysate of serum albumin.