Separation of large DNA molecules by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis A review of the basic phenomenology

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is a method of separating large DNA molecules. The distinctive feature of this method is that the direction of the electric field is changed periodically. During the five years since Schwartz and Cantor introduced this technique, there has been dramatic progress in pulsed-field instrumentation and in associated electrophoretic methods. Progress has been driven by practical experience with little guidance from theory. In this review, the basic phenomenology of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is summarized and some speculations are advanced about possible molecular mechanisms.