FIELD ALTERNATION GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS - STATUS-QUO

Since the description of the original technique of field alternation g el electrophoresis (FAGE) about ten years ago there have been signific ant developments in the area. Between 1983 and early 1987 dramatic imp rovements in the technique and apparatus resulted in a 500- to 600-fol d increase in the functional separation capacity of conventional agaro se gel electrophoresis. Details of the improvements in technique and e quipment was the subject of an earlier review [H. J. S. Dawkins, J. Ch romatogr., 492 (1989) 615]. This review concentrates on the applicatio n of FAGE technology. The FAGE technique is no longer restricted to si mply separating large DNA fragments. This method is presently being us ed for electrophoretic karyotyping, long-range genomic mapping, clonin g of large DNA fragments into new vectors, the study of pathogenic chr omosomal alterations and the structural analysis of chromosomes. The a pplications of FAGE in molecular biology and genetics is constantly ex panding, with the full potential of this technique still to be realise d.