High-resolution separation of PCR product and gene diagnosis by capillary gel electrophoresis

High-resolution separation of a PCR product from a mixture of DNA restriction fragments was achieved using capillary gel electrophoresis. The capillary gel electrophoretic separation gives an excellent resolution of two fragments of the 500-bp PCR product and the 506-bp DNA fragment, which differs by only 6 bp, and the complete separation of a broader chain length range of DNA afragments up to 12 kbp within 20 min. The plate number of gel-filled capillary was achieved to be 2 million plates per meter. Capillary gel electrophoresis is applied to the gene diagnosis for heart disease through apolipoprotein E genotyping. The advantages and limitations of capillary gel electrophoresis in the application to PCR analysis and DNA diagnosis are discussed.