DNA sequencing with pulsed-field capillary electrophoresis in poly(ethylene oxide) matrix

DNA sequencing by using pulsed-field capillary electrophoresis in a linear polymer matrix was performed in this work. The effects of waveform, frequency, modulation depth and heating were investigated. The separation performance for Sanger DNA fragments up to 1000 bp using a pulsed field was compared to isoelectric and isorheic conditions. A separation mechanism in the flexible poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) gel was also suggested. We found that temperature change generated by either a pulsed field or ultrasound during DNA sequencing can have a deleterious effect on the separation efficiency.