Protocol of capillary isoelectric focusing to separate extremely acidic and basic proteins

A new set-up was constructed for capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) involving a sampling capillary as a bypass fixed to the separation capillary. Sample solutions were subjected to a previously established pH gradient from the sample capillary. Besides performing conventional CIEF, the separation of ampholytic compounds with isoelectric points (p/s) beyond the pH gradient was carried out on this system. This method was termed as pH gradient driven electrophoresis (PGDE) and the basic mathematical expressions were derived to express the dynamic fundamentals. Proteins such as lysozyme, cytochrome C, and pepsin with p/s higher than 10 or below 3 were separated in a pH gradient provided by Pharmalyte (pH 3-10). Finally, this protocol convincingly exhibited its potential in the separation of a solution of chicken egg white.     

Use of full-column imaging capillary isoelectric focusing for the rapid determination of the operating conditions in the preparative-scale continuous free-flow isoelectric focusing separation of enantiomers

A rapid, simple method is proposed here for the identification of the experimental conditions that lead to satisfactory preparative-scale isoelectric focusing enantiomer separations in continuous free-flow electrophoretic units. The method first calls for the use of a commercially available, full-column imaging capillary electrophoretic system to find the background electrolyte composition that generates the largest pI difference between the bands of the enantiomers. The method then calls for the finding of the minimum residence time that permits full development of the pH gradient across the separation chamber of the continuous free-flow electrophoretic unit by measuring the pH in the sample-free carrier electrolyte fractions collected during these runs. Finally, the quality of the predicted preparative-scale separation is verified by analyzing the enantiomer-containing collected fractions by capillary electrophoresis using a 14-sulfated, single-isomer cyclodextrin as resolving agent. The pI difference values and production rate values observed in this work agree well with the literature values that were obtained by much more time-consuming methods.     

Study on the systematic optimization of capillary electrophoresis using a controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm

The systematic optimization of capillary electrophoretic separations using a dynamic scouting optimum method-controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm is described. The factors affecting the efficiency of the separation are simultaneously considered during the optimization procedures. The established optimization method is applied to amino acid separation by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with on-column indirect UV detection and to the separation of local anesthetics by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MECC) with on-column UV detection. The optimization procedures include the pH and the background absorption electrolyte (BGAE) concentrations together with the applied voltage in the CZE separation of amino acids. The pH, the SDS concentrations together with the percentage of methanol are considered in the MECC separation of local anesthetics. Two methods, i.e., the Long Coefficient and Uniform Design Table, are used to define the start vertexes during the optimization procedure and similar final experimental conditions for the separations are achieved. Thirteen native amino acids are baseline separated by CZE and 4 local anesthetics are satisfactorily separated by MECC.     

Rapid analysis of charge variants of monoclonal antibodies with capillary zone electrophoresis in dynamically coated fused-silica capillary

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was developed for the rapid analysis of charge heterogeneity of immunoglobulin G (IgG) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The separation was carried out in a short, dynamically coated fused-silica capillary. A number of separation parameters were investigated and optimized, including pH, concentration of the separation buffer (ε-amino caproic acid), concentration of the triethylenetetramine (TETA) dynamic coating, the capillary internal diameter and the field strength used for the separation. The effects of between-run flushing of the capillary and the data acquisition rate were also evaluated. Under the optimized conditions, a fast (<5 min), selective and reproducible separation of mAb charge variants was achieved under a very high electric field strength (1000 V/cm). This method also requires only a short conditioning of the capillary, with between-run conditioning completed within 2 min. The method was evaluated for specificity, sensitivity, linearity, accuracy and precision. The same separation conditions were applied to the rapid separation (2-5 min) of charge variants of multiple monoclonal antibodies with pI in the range of 7.0-9.5. Compared with other existing methods for charge variants analysis, this method has several advantages including a short run time, rapid capillary conditioning and simple sample preparation.     

Study on the systematic optimization of capillary electrophoresis using a controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm

The systematic optimization of capillary electrophoretic separations using a dynamic scouting optimum method-controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm is described. The factors affecting the efficiency of the separation are simultaneously considered during the optimization procedures. The established optimization method is applied to amino acid separation by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with on-column indirect UV detection and to the separation of local anesthetics by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MECC) with on-column UV detection. The optimization procedures include the pH and the background absorption electrolyte (BGAE) concentrations together with the applied voltage in the CZE separation of amino acids. The pH, the SDS concentrations together with the percentage of methanol are considered in the MECC separation of local anesthetics. Two methods, i.e., the Long Coefficient and Uniform Design Table, are used to define the start vertexes during the optimization procedure and similar final experimental conditions for the separations are achieved. Thirteen native amino acids are baseline separated by CZE and 4 local anesthetics are satisfactorily separated by MECC. Received: 10 November 1997 / Revised: 19 January 1998 / Accepted: 24 January 1998     

Fast enantiomeric separation with vancomycin as chiral additive by co-electroosmotic flow capillary electrophoresis: increase of the detection sensitivity by the partial filling technique

A fast and sensitive method is described by using vancomycin as a chiral additive for enantiomeric separation by capillary electrophoresis (CE). In order to overcome disadvantages associated with use of vancomycin as chiral additive in CE, several strategies including the dynamic coating technique, the co-electroosmotic flow technique, and the partial filling technique were employed sequentially in this method. Using the polycationic polymer hexadimethrine bromide (HDB) as a buffer additive, the capillary wall was dynamically coated with a thin film formed by the adsorbed HDB. Consequently, the adsorption of vancomycin onto the capillary wall was minimized via electrostatic repulsion between the coating of the capillary wall and the vancomycin molecule. In addition, the reversed electroosmotic flow (from cathode to anode) produced by the positively charged capillary wall migrates in the same direction of negatively charged analytes (co-electroosmotic flow electrophoresis). Thereby the electrophoretic mobility of negatively charged analytes were drastically accelerated leading to a short separation time of less than 3.4 min. The separation time was further reduced by the use of a short-end-injection technique. For example, the analysis time was achieved by as short as 55 s for a baseline separation of dansyl-alpha-amino-n-butyric acid. Concurrently, the partial filling technique was used to avoid the loss of detection sensitivity caused by the presence of vancomycin in the running buffer. The effect of several parameters, such as HDB concentration, buffer pH, plug length of the chiral selector, concentration of the chiral selector and applied voltage, on enantioselectivity were investigated toward optimization. Besides the advantage of a very short separation time, the method is characterized by high detection sensitivity, high selectivity, and high efficiency.     

Enantioseparation by CE with vancomycin as chiral selector: Improving the separation performance by dynamic coating of the capillary with poly(dimethylacrylamide)

An approach for improving the separation performance of the enantioseparation by CE with vancomycin as chiral selector is described. In the present method, a solution of poly(dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) was used for dynamic coating of the capillary wall to minimize the adsorption of vancomycin onto the capillary wall, and to depress the EOF. Compared with the bare fused-silica capillaries and the capillaries coated with the polycationic polymer hexadimethrine bromide (HDB), the PDMA-coated capillary displayed the best separation performance. The resulting coating could withstand hundreds of runs without losing its function. Moreover, a partial filling technique was applied to avoid interference in detection caused by the presence of vancomycin in the buffer. The separation time was shortened when a short-end-injection technique was applied. Several parameters such as buffer pH, vancomycin concentration and plug length of the vancomycin solution for the separation were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, all tested enantiomers, including FMOC amino acids derivatives, ketoprofen and fenoprofen, were baseline-separated in less than 4.2 min.     

Development of a simple ampholyte-free isoelectric focusing slab electrophoresis for protein fractionation

Sample preparation is often necessary to separate and concentrate various compounds prior to analysis of complex samples. In this regard, isoelectric focusing (IEF) is one of the best sample preparation methods. With this approach, however, carrier ampholytes have to be introduced into the samples, which may result in matrix interferences. In this paper, a simple ampholyte-free IEF free-flow electrophoresis design was developed for the separation of proteins. beta-Lactoglobulin, hemoglobin, myoglobin and cytochrome c were selected as model analytes. The experimental design took advantage of the electrolysis-driven production of H(+) and OH(-) ions that migrated from the anode and cathode, respectively, establishing a pH gradient spanning from 2.3 to 8.9. The separation chamber was filled with silanized glass beads as a support medium. Dialysis membranes were mounted at the two sides of the separation chamber (made of glass slides) and sealed with 2% agarose gel. The separated proteins drained from the outlets of the separation chamber and could be successfully collected into small glass tubes. The focusing process was visually observed and the separation was confirmed by capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) with pI markers.     

Two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis using tangentially connected capillaries

A novel type of fused silica capillary system is described where channels with circular cross-sections are tangentially in contact with each other and connected through a small opening at the contact area. Since the channels are not crossing each other in the same plane, the capillaries can easily be filled with different solutions, i.e. different solutions will be in contact with each other at the contact point. The system has been used to perform different types of two-dimensional separations and the complete system is fully automated where a high voltage switch is used to control the location of the high voltage in the system. Using two model compounds it is demonstrated that a type of two-dimensional separation can be performed using capillary zone electrophoresis at two different pH values. It is also shown that a compound with acid/base properties can be concentrated using a dynamic pH junction mechanism when transferred from the first separation to the second separation. In addition, the system has been used to perform a comprehensive two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis separation of tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin using capillary zone electrophoresis followed by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.     

毛细管电泳-激光诱导荧光检测法分析胃癌组织及癌旁正常组织蛋白质的差异性

胃癌是临床常见的恶性肿瘤之一。近年来寻找肿瘤相关特异蛋白质是蛋白质组学研究的热点。本文通过考察毛细管动态涂层方法、筛分介质聚环氧乙烷(PEO)的浓度、缓冲液的pH值、分离电压、温度及荧光染料对分离效果的影响,建立了毛细管电泳-激光诱导荧光法分离胃癌组织及癌旁正常组织蛋白质的方法;通过分离检测,获得两者的蛋白质指纹图谱。经分析,两者的指纹图谱相似度达到0.8以上,差异蛋白质分子质量集中在50000~100000 Da之间,提示某些小分子蛋白质可能是和肿瘤发生相关的特异蛋白质,从而缩小了特异性分子标记物的筛选范围。病理组织学分型及蛋白质电泳峰数目的统计结果验证了该方法的可靠性。该方法具有临床应用的潜力。     

A cationic β‐cyclodextrin as a dynamic coating for the separation of proteins in capillary electrophoresis

A cationic cyclodextrin was used as dynamic coating for the capillary electrophoresis of a model mixture of proteins (i.e., ubiquitin, α‐lactoglobulin, cytochrome‐c, and myoglobin) as positively charged species in a fused silica capillary. An interesting feature of the coating is that by simple adjustment of the concentration of cyclodextrin added into the background electrolyte, a neutral or positively charged surface, which was beneficial in preventing protein adsorption at the inner capillary wall surface, was obtained. This is the first demonstration of a dynamic coating that yielded a neutral surface for protein separations in capillary electrophoresis. Based on electro‐osmotic flow measurements, addition of 0.05 to 0.10 mg/mL quaternary β‐cyclodextrin in a low pH electrolyte resulted in a neutral or positive surface (undetectable to very slow anodic electro‐osmotic flow). The coating approach afforded the electrophoretic separation of the mixture of proteins at positive polarity with good repeatability and separation performance.     

Investigation of the separability of thaumatin by capillary electrophoresis

The electrophoretic behaviour of the highly basic protein thaumatin was explored in strongly acid (pH 2) and mildly acid (pH 4.5) separation systems using both bare and coated fused silica capillaries. The separation selectivity for thaumatin I, thaumatin II, and for other sample constituents was insufficient for their baseline separation at pH 2 in an uncoated capillary because the separation efficiency was markedly lower than is common in the electrophoretic separations of proteins. A separation selectivity higher by up to one order of magnitude has been reached at pH 4.5. A pronounced asymmetry of zones, which impaired resolution at this pH, was effectively suppressed by coating of the capillary wall with a polymer. In fact, adsorption on the capillary coating always plays a contributory role whenever a good separation of thaumatin constituents is attained. This indicates that electrochromatographic separation systems based on capillaries coated with the layer of either cationic or hydrophilic uncharged polymer hold promise for the development of methods for thaumatin analysis.     

pH effect on dynamic coating for capillary electrophoresis of DNA

A buffer consisting of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, 2-(N-moropholino)ethanesulfonic acid (Mes) and EDTA with constant ion strength was used to investigate the effect of buffer pH on the dynamic coating behavior of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) for DNA separation. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) image illustrated that PNIPAM in lower-pH buffer was much more efficient in covering a silica wafer than that in higher-pH buffer. The coating performance of PNIPAM was also quantitatively analyzed by Fourier transform IR attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy and by measuring the electroosmotic flow (EOF). These results indicated that the stability of the dynamic coating was dependent on the pH of the sieving matrix and was improved by reducing the pH to the weak-acid range. The lower pH of the sieving buffer may induce the polymer more efficiently to adsorb on the capillary wall to suppress EOF and DNA–capillary wall interaction for DNA separation. The enhanced dynamic coating capacity of PNIPAM in lower-pH buffer may be attributed to the hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups of the silica surface and the oxygen atom of the carbonyl groups of PNIPAM.     

Quantitative analysis of microcystin variants by capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry with dynamic pH barrage junction focusing

Dynamic pH junction is an online focusing method in CE based on the electrophoretic mobility difference of analytes in the sample matrix and the background electrolyte. An advantage of this method over the conventional CE is that the sensitivity can be significantly improved. By injecting a long sample plug in the capillary and focusing the analytes at the pH boundary between the background electrolyte and sample matrix, the LOD can be improved by 10–100 folds. The dynamic pH junction method can be easily coupled with ESI‐MS. In this work, we used this method for the analysis of microcystins (MCs). The detection limits and dynamic ranges were studied. The separation was optimized by adjusting the injection time, and concentrations and pH values of the background electrolyte. The optimization of analyte focusing leads to enhanced detection response compared to conventional injections, achieving 200–400 fold higher averaged peak heights for four microcystin (MC) variants. More importantly, this method was successfully used for the quantitative analysis of microcystins (MCs) in crude algae samples from natural water bodies, making it promising for practical applications.     

Dynamic pH barrage junction focusing of amino acids,peptides, and digested monoclonal antibodies in capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry

Dynamic pH barrage junction focusing in CE enables effective signal enhancement, quantitative capture efficiencies, and straightforward optimization. The method is a technical variant of dynamic pH junction focusing. CE separation with dynamic pH barrage junction focusing is compatible with both optical and mass spectrometric detection. We developed a CE–MS/MS method using hydrophilic polyethyleneimine-coated capillaries and validated it for the qualitative analysis of amino acids, peptides, and tryptic peptides of digested monoclonal antibodies. The S/N of extracted ion electropherograms of zwitterionic analytes were enhanced by approximately two orders of magnitude with a tradeoff of a shortened separation window. Online focusing improved the MS signal intensity of a diluted antibody digest, enabling more precursor ions to be analyzed with subsequent tandem mass spectrometric identification. It also broadened the concentration range of protein digest samples for which adequate sequence coverage data can be obtained. With only 0.9 ng of digested infliximab sample loaded into the capillary, 76% and 100% sequence coverage was realized for antibody heavy and light chains, respectively, after online focusing. Full coverage was achieved with 9 ng of injected digest.     

Separation of phospholipids by capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect ultraviolet detection

A simple method for separation of different anionic and zwitterionic phospholipid classes by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), using indirect UV detection with adenosine monophosphate (AMP) as background electrolyte and the UV-absorbing additive, was successfully developed in this study. The separation conditions including apparent pH (pH*) of running buffer, concentration of AMP, organic solvent, applied voltage and capillary temperature were systematically optimized. The application of this method to human blood sample was also briefly examined.     

Preparation of a sulfonated fused-silica capillary and its application in capillary electrophoresis and electrochromatography

In the present paper, two new methods, sol-gel and chemical bonding methods, were proposed for preparation of sulfonated fused-silica capillaries. In the sol-gel method, a fused-silica capillary was coated with the sol solution obtained by hydrolysis of 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS) and tetramethoxysilane, and followed by age; while in the chemical bonding method, a capillary was chemically bonded directly with MPTS. Then, both the resulting capillaries were oxidized with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide solution (H2O2) (30%, m/m) to obtain the sulfonated capillaries. The electroosmotic flow (EOF) for the sulfonated capillaries was found to remain almost constant within the studied pH range, and greater than that of the uncoated capillary. However, the coating efficiency of the capillary prepared by chemical bonding method was higher than that by sol-gel method, by comparing their magnitude of the EOF, the degree of disguise of the silanol and reproducibility of preparation procedure. The effects of the electrolyte's concentration and the content of methanol (MeOH) on the EOF were also studied. Especially, the study of the apparent pH (pH*) on the EOF in a water-MeOH system was reported. Finally, capillary electrophoretic separation of seven organic acids was achieved within 6.5 min under optimal condition using the chemically bonded sulfonated capillary. Moreover, separation of four alkaloids on the sulfonated capillary was compared with that on uncoated capillary in different conditions. Ion-exchange mechanism was found to play a key role for separation of these four basic analytes on the sulfonated capillary.     

Electroosmotic pump-assisted capillary electrophoresis of proteins

A new method for protein analysis, that is, electroosmotic pump-assisted capillary electrophoresis (EOPACE), is developed and demonstrated to possess several advantages over other CE-based techniques. The column employed in EOPACE consists of two linked sections, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-coated and uncoated capillaries. The PVA-coated capillary column is the section for protein electrophoresis in EOPACE. Electroosmotic flow (EOF) is almost completely suppressed in this hydrophilic polymer coated section, so protein electrophoresis in the PVA-modified capillary is free of irreversible protein adsorption to the capillary inner wall. The uncoated capillary section serves as an electroosmotic pump, since EOF towards cathode occurs at neutral pH in the naked silica capillary. By the separation of a protein mixture containing cytochrome c (Cyt-c), myoglobin and trypsin inhibitor, we have demonstrated the advantages of EOPACE method over other relevant ones such as pressure assisted CE, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with naked capillary and CZE with PVA-coated capillary. A significant feature of EOPACE is that simultaneous separation of cationic, anionic and uncharged proteins at neutral pH can be readily accomplished by a single run, which is impossible or difficult to realize by the other CE-based methods. The high column efficiency and good reproducibility in protein analysis by EOPACE are verified and discussed. In addition, separation of tryptic digests of Cyt-c with the EOPACE system is demonstrated.     

Separation of double-stranded DNA fragments by capillary electrophoresis: Impacts of poly(ethylene oxide), gold nanoparticles, ethidium bromide, and pH

The separation of DNA by capillary electrophoresis using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) containing gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is presented. The impacts of PEO, GNPs, ethidium bromide (EtBr), and pH on the separation of double-stranded DNA have been carefully explored. Using a capillary dynamically coated with 5.0% poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and filled with 0.2% PEO containing 0.3 x GNPs (the viscosity less than 15 cP), we have demonstrated the separation of DNA markers V and VI within 5 min at pH 8.0 and 9.0. In terms of resolution and reproducibility, GNPs have a greater impact on the separation of DNA at pH 9.0. Resolution improvements for large DNA fragments (> 300 base pairs, bp) are greater than those for small ones in the presence of GNPs. It is important to point out that reproducibility is excellent (relative standard deviations for the migration times less than 0.5%) and thus no further dynamic coating is required in at least 20 consecutive runs in the presence of GNPs. Using 0.2% PEO (pH 9.0) containing 0.3 x GNPs, the separation of DNA fragments ranging in size from 21 to 23,130 bp was accomplished in 7 min. The results presented in this study show the advantage of PEO containing GNPs for DNA separation, including rapidity, high resolving power, excellent reproducibility, and ease of filling capillaries.     

聚合物涂层在毛细管电泳分离蛋白中的研究进展

毛细管电泳具有分析时间短,分离效率高,样品消耗量少等优点,在生物样品分离,特别是蛋白质分析领域有重要应用。然而,毛细管内壁硅羟基的解离给分离结果带来诸多不良影响。聚合物涂层能够抑制蛋白质在毛细管内壁的吸附以及调控电渗流,故对毛细管内壁进行有效修饰能够提高其对蛋白质的分离效率及分离稳定性。该文主要综述了动态及静态聚合物涂层毛细管的最新研究进展,并概述了近些年基于多巴胺/聚多巴胺发展起来的涂层毛细管的研究进展,最后展望了聚合物涂层毛细管的发展趋势。