SIDE EXCITATION OF FLUORESCENCE IN ULTRATHIN SLAB GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS

Recent work has demonstrated the advantages of ultrathin slab gel electrophoresis for fluorescence-based automated DNA sequence analysis. The increased heat transfer efficiency of the thin (typically 50-100 mu m) gels permits higher electric fields to be employed with concomitant increases in separation speed. Issues arise, however, in introducing the laser beam used for fluorescence excitation into the thin gels. This paper presents methods for bringing the excitation beam into the thin gels from the side. This permits a low-power air-cooled argon ion laser source to be utilized and produces much lower fluorescence and scattering background than alternative approaches. The beam is effectively trapped between the plates due to the high efficiency of reflection at the low-angle grazing incidence of the beam. A theoretical model describing beam throughput was developed which agrees web with experimental observations. In this model, attenuation of the beam intensity is attributed to four factors: aperturing at the entrance of the gel; reflective losses upon entrance into the gel; scattering during transmission through the gel; and reflective losses occurring upon successive ''bounces'' of the beam from the gel-glass interface during propagation of the beam.