Concentration gradient electrophoresis gel configuration apparatus

Abstract

The utility model discloses a concentration gradient electrophoresis gel configuration instrument, including gel pouring tray, liquid injection pipe, mixing container no.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electrophoresis technology, specifically to a concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation instrument. Background Technology

[0002] Gel electrophoresis is a technique for separating biological macromolecules (such as DNA, RNA, or proteins) based on differences in molecular size and charge. Its core principle is that charged molecules migrate in a gel matrix under the action of an electric field. Small molecules migrate faster, while large molecules lag behind, thereby achieving separation.

[0003] In existing technologies, the area of ​​the gel is limited by the size of the electrophoresis device. Small molecules move too fast relative to large molecules, which can easily lead to small molecules moving out of the gel while large molecules continue to move slowly, resulting in low separation and affecting subsequent analysis, transfer, or detection. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation instrument that enables gels to be prepared for different molecular weights.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model is implemented through the following technical solution: a concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation instrument, comprising a gel pouring plate, a liquid injection tube, a mixing container one, and a mixing container two; The injection tube is a three-way tube, with one end connected to the gel casting plate and the other two ends connected to mixing container one and mixing container two, respectively. Flow control valves are provided at both ends of the injection tube connected to mixing container one and mixing container two.

[0006] Pour the matrix and buffer solution into mixing container one, shake well, and boil to prepare a gel solution of normal concentration. Then, mix the matrix and buffer solution in mixing container two at different ratios and boil to prepare a diluted gel solution with a lower concentration. Both mixing containers one and two are connected to the injection tubing. Stand the gel casting tray upright, and add the gel solution and diluted gel solution into the gel casting tray. Control the flow rate of the two containers using a flow control valve. As casting proceeds, the flow rate of one mixing container gradually increases while the flow rate of the other gradually decreases. Finally, a gel sheet is obtained in the gel casting tray, and the consistency of the gel sheet gradually decreases from one end to the other.

[0007] The advantages of the aforementioned concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation system are as follows: By preparing gel sheets with a gradient of concentration, the side of the gel sheet with the higher concentration is placed on the positive electrode side during electrophoresis. During the initial stage of electrophoresis, small molecules move faster in the lower concentration gel and separate from large molecules. However, as the gel approaches the positive electrode, the higher concentration slows down the movement of small molecules, thus providing sufficient time for large molecules to migrate and complete the separation while preventing small molecules from exceeding the gel sheet's range.

[0008] Furthermore, the gel casting tray includes a tray body and a tray cover. The tray body is an upward-facing C-shaped structure. The tray cover can cover the top opening and the two end openings of the tray body. The injection tube is connected to one side of the outer wall of the tray cover and communicates with the inside of the tray body. The tray cover is also provided with an exhaust hole.

[0009] Covering the gel with the lid creates a seal, allowing the gel to stand upright for pouring and resulting in a gel sheet with a gradient concentration. The vent holes remove internal air during injection. After the gel cools, remove the lid and transfer the gel to the electrophoresis apparatus.

[0010] Furthermore, the end of the injection tube connected to the gel casting plate is also connected to a powder injection tube.

[0011] The powder injection tube is used to add the coagulant. After the coagulant is added to the mixed adhesive, it is injected into the gel casting pan together. This helps the adhesive to form a gel quickly after injection, so as to avoid the adhesive being washed away during the injection process and forming a gel with a disordered concentration.

[0012] Furthermore, a mixing zone is provided at one end of the injection tube connected to the gel casting plate, and a stirring component is provided in the mixing zone. The connection between the powder injection tube and the injection tube is further away from the gel casting plate than the mixing zone.

[0013] The mixing zone uses a stirring component to mix the injected adhesive, diluted adhesive, and coagulant, thereby improving uniformity.

[0014] Furthermore, the stirring assembly includes a rotating shaft and blades. The rotating shaft is rotatably disposed within the mixing zone, and a plurality of blades are arranged circumferentially on the rotating shaft. The cross-section of the mixing zone is circular, and its shape and size are adapted to the movement trajectory of the blades.

[0015] The rotating shaft drives the blades to rotate, which can stir and mix the mixed adhesive and coagulant entering the mixing zone, thereby improving uniformity.

[0016] Furthermore, the inner wall of the mixing zone is provided with an electric heating layer.

[0017] The electric heating layer can heat the mixed adhesive in the mixing zone, preventing gelation in the injection tube and ensuring smooth injection into the gel casting tray. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the specific embodiments will be briefly described below. In all the drawings, the elements or parts are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0019] Figure 1This is a front view of a concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the gel casting tray of a concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation apparatus is shown. Figure 3 for Figure 1 A side view of the mixing zone of the concentration gradient electrophoresis gel configurator shown; Figure label: 10-Gel casting tray, 11-Pattern body, 12-Pattern cover, 121-Vent hole; 20-Liquid injection pipe, 201-Flow control valve, 21-Powder injection pipe, 22-Mixing zone, 221-Rotating shaft, 222-Blade, 223-Motor, 224-Heating layer; 30-Mixing Container I, 40-Mixing Container II. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Please see Figures 1 to 3 This utility model provides a concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation instrument, including a gel casting plate 10, a liquid injection tube 20, a mixing container 30 and a mixing container 40. The gel solutions in the mixing container 30 and the mixing container 40 are mixed through the liquid injection tube 20 and injected into the gel casting plate 10 to cool into a gel.

[0022] Specifically, the injection tube 20 is a three-way tube, with one end connected to the gel casting tray 10 and the other two ends connected to mixing container 30 and mixing container 40 respectively. Flow control valves 201 are installed on both ends of the tube connected to mixing container 30 and mixing container 40. The matrix and buffer solution are poured into mixing container 30. In this embodiment, the matrix is ​​agarose. After mixing, the mixture is shaken, boiled, and prepared into a gel solution of normal concentration. Then, agarose and buffer solution are mixed in mixing container 40 at different ratios, boiled, and prepared into a diluted gel solution with a lower concentration. The gel casting tray 10 is erected, and the gel solution and diluted gel solution are added through the injection tube 20. The flow rate of the two containers is controlled by the flow control valves 201. In this embodiment, the flow control valves are solenoid valves. At the beginning of casting, the normal concentration gel solution is mainly poured. As casting progresses, the flow rate of the normal concentration gel solution decreases, while the flow rate of the diluted gel solution increases. After cooling the gel, a gel sheet with a gradient change is obtained, in which the viscosity of the gel sheet gradually decreases from one end to the other.

[0023] During electrophoresis, the side of the gel with a higher concentration is placed on the positive electrode side. In the early stages, small molecules move faster in the gel with a lower concentration and separate from large molecules. However, as the gel gets closer to the positive electrode, the higher concentration slows down the movement of small molecules. This process allows small molecules to be separated from large molecules while reducing their migration speed, preventing them from exceeding the gel's range, and providing sufficient time for large molecules to migrate and complete the separation.

[0024] Specifically, the gel casting tray 10 includes a tray body 11 and a tray cover 12. The tray body 11 has an upward-facing C-shaped structure. The tray cover 12 covers the top opening and both end openings of the tray body 11, and its lower surface has multiple protrusions arranged in a straight line. The injection tube 20 is connected to one side of the outer wall of the tray cover 12 and communicates with the interior of the tray body 11. The tray cover 12 also has a vent hole 121. The top and side openings of the tray body 11 facilitate its transfer to the electrophoresis apparatus after gelation. Covering the tray body 11 with the tray cover 12 provides a sealing effect, allowing the tray body 11 to stand upright, facilitating the casting of gel sheets with gradient concentrations. The vent hole 121 is used to remove internal air during injection. After the gel cools, the tray cover 12 can be removed to transfer the tray body 11 to the electrophoresis apparatus. The protrusions on the tray cover form multiple sample loading grooves on the gel surface, facilitating sample loading during subsequent electrophoresis.

[0025] Specifically, the end of the injection tube 20 connected to the gel casting plate 10 is also connected to a powder injection tube 21, which is used to add a coagulant. After the coagulant is added to the mixed adhesive, it can help the adhesive to form a gel quickly after being injected into the gel casting plate 10, so as to avoid the adhesive being washed away during the injection process, resulting in a gel with chaotic concentration.

[0026] A mixing zone 22 is provided at one end of the injection tube 20 that is connected to the gel casting plate 10. This zone is used to mix the gel, dilute the gel, and the coagulant. A stirring assembly is provided in the mixing zone 22. The connection between the powder injection tube 21 and the injection tube 20 is further away from the gel casting plate 10 than the mixing zone 22.

[0027] The mixing assembly includes a rotating shaft 221 and blades 222. The rotating shaft 221 is rotatably disposed within the mixing zone 22 and is driven by an external motor 223. Multiple blades 222 are arranged circumferentially on the rotating shaft 221. The mixing zone 22 has a circular cross-section, and its shape and size are adapted to the movement trajectory of the blades 222. By rotating the blades 222 driven by the rotating shaft 221, the mixed adhesive and coagulant entering the mixing zone 22 can be stirred and mixed, improving uniformity.

[0028] In addition, the inner wall of the mixing zone 22 is provided with an electric heating layer 224. The electric heating layer 224 can heat the mixed adhesive in the mixing zone 22 to prevent gelation in the injection tube 20 and ensure smooth injection into the gel casting tray 10.

[0029] The working principle of the above-mentioned concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation instrument is as follows: Agarose and buffer solution are poured into mixing container 30 and mixing container 40 in different ratios, shaken and boiled to prepare gel solutions of normal concentration and diluted gel solutions. The gel pouring tray 10 is erected, and the gel solution and diluted gel solution are added through the injection tube 20, with the flow rate controlled by the flow control valve 201. After entering the mixing zone 22, the gel solution, diluted gel solution and coagulant are stirred by the stirring component. As pouring proceeds, the concentration of the mixed gel solution gradually decreases with the assistance of the flow control valve 201, ultimately resulting in a gel sheet with a gradually decreasing viscosity from one end to the other.

[0030] Using the aforementioned concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation instrument, gel sheets with a gradient of concentration can be prepared. During electrophoresis, the side of the gel sheet with a higher concentration is placed on the positive electrode side. In the early stage, small molecules move faster in the gel portion with a lower concentration and separate from large molecules. However, as it gets closer to the positive electrode, the higher gel concentration slows down the movement of small molecules. This allows small molecules to be separated from large molecules while reducing their migration speed, preventing them from exceeding the gel range, and providing sufficient time for large molecules to migrate and complete the separation.

[0031] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims and specification of this utility model.

Claims

1. A concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation instrument, characterized in that: Includes a gel casting tray, a liquid injection tube, a mixing container one, and a mixing container two; The injection tube is a three-way tube, with one end connected to the gel casting plate and the other two ends connected to mixing container one and mixing container two, respectively. Flow control valves are provided at both ends of the injection tube connected to mixing container one and mixing container two.

2. The concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gel casting tray includes a tray body and a tray cover. The tray body is an upward-facing C-shaped structure. The tray cover can cover the top opening and the two end openings of the tray body. The injection tube is connected to one side of the outer wall of the tray cover and communicates with the inside of the tray body. The tray cover is also provided with an exhaust hole.

3. The concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the injection tube that connects to the gel casting plate is also connected to a powder injection tube.

4. The concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: The end of the injection tube connected to the gel casting plate is provided with a mixing zone, and a stirring component is provided in the mixing zone. The connection between the powder injection tube and the injection tube is further away from the gel casting plate than the mixing zone.

5. The concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that: The stirring assembly includes a rotating shaft and blades. The rotating shaft is rotatably disposed in the mixing zone, and a plurality of blades are arranged circumferentially on the rotating shaft. The cross-section of the mixing zone is circular, and its shape and size are adapted to the movement trajectory of the blades.

6. The concentration gradient electrophoresis gel preparation apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner wall of the mixing zone is provided with an electric heating layer.

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