E. Kenndler et D. Blaas, Capillary electrophoresis of macromolecular biological assemblies: bacteria and viruses, TRAC-TREND, 20(10), 2001, pp. 543-551
Like other colloidal particles, bacteria and viruses carry charged or charg
eable groups on their outer surface creating an electric double layer upon
contact with the aqueous phase. This is characterised by the potential, whi
ch determines the electrophoretic mobility of the particles in an electric
field. Therefore, bacteria and viruses undergo electrophoresis in free solu
tion with their migration depending on the ionic strength and the pH of the
buffer solution. Differential electromigration can thus be used to separat
e and characterise the intact particles and their fragments, either in the
zone electrophoretic or in the isoelectric focusing mode. Moreover, interac
tion of ligands with their surface might change the potential, enabling the
investigation of affinity complex formation of e.g. viruses with antibodie
s or neutralising receptors. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese
rved.