High-resolution separation of PCR product and gene diagnosis by capillary gel electrophoresis

High‐resolution separation of a PCR product from a mixture of DNA restriction fragments was achieved using capillary gel electrophoresis. The capillary gel electrophoretic separation gives an excellent resolution of two fragments of the 500‐bp PCR product and the 506‐bp DNA fragment, which differs by only 6 bp, and the complete separation of a broader chain lenght range of DNA fragments up to 12kbp within 20min. The plate number of gel‐filled capillary was achieved to be 2 million plates per meter. Capillary gel electrophoresis is applied to the gene diagnosis for heart disease through apolipoprotein E genotyping. The advantages and limitations of capillary gel electrophoresis in the application to PCR analysis and DNA diagnosis are discussed.