ELECTROPHORETIC SEPARATION OF DNA-SEQUENCING EXTENSION PRODUCTS USINGLOW-VISCOSITY ENTANGLED POLYMER NETWORKS

A low-viscosity (ca. 150 cP) polymer solution is used to resolve DNA s equencing fragments up to 580 bases long using the capillary electroph oresis format. Separation performance is compared qualitatively and qu antitatively to that of a cross-linked polyacrylamide sequencing slab gel. Both the resolution and length-of-read are essentially equivalent , while the capillary separation is approximately 10 times faster than the slab gel analysis. In addition, separation selectivity and effici ency are examined individually.