Evaluation And Presentation Of Data; Preservation - GE PhastSystem User Manual

6.1 Preservation

6. Evaluation and
presentation of data
This chapter is divided into two parts: preservation and evaluation. The
first part describes procedures for storing PhastGel media,
ing how to dry and photograph gels. The second part contains proce-
dures for estimating the isoelectric point and molecular weight of
proteins.
Drying gels
Use one of the following methods to dry your gels. The method you
choose will depend on how fast you need to dry your gels:
1. Use an ordinary hair-dryer to dry gels within minutes. The warm
air should be directed onto the plastic backing to avoid contami-
nating the gel with dust. The gel should be dried immediately
after development, or uneven background can result. This
method is fast, but higher background might result with
Coomassie stained gels (most likely due to Coomassie particles
dissolving in the gel matrix) if the air from the dryer is too
warm.
2. Place the gels on filter paper or a wire mesh. Gels will dry
within four to five hours. Anchor edges of gradient gels to
prevent them from curling.
If your gels curl after drying or storage, soak them in 7-10% acetic
acid with glycerol according to the Development technique files, until
they uncurl.
Mounting gels
Dry gels can be mounted in slide frames, in photo-albums, or in note
books. Slide frames must have a 37 x 37 mm inside perimeter (which
have a 50 x 50 mm outside perimeter) to view all the bands in the gel.
These are medium-format frames which can be purchased at your
local photography shop. Slide frames with glass or rigid plastic sheets
to enclose the gel will prevent damage to the gel during storage.
PhastGel media are 43 x 50 mm and must be trimmed to 43 x 43
mm to fit into 50 x 50 mm slide frames.
Photographing gels
Below are some general tips for obtaining good photographic results
of PhastGel media.
Camera type
Ordinary 35 mm or Polaroid cameras are well suited for photographing
PhastGel media, provided they have a close-up lens or similar
apparatus.

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