Separation of large DNA molecules by size exclusion chromatography-based microchip with on-chip concentration structure

Abstract

The separation of DNA molecules according to their size represents a fundamental bioanalytical procedure. Here, we report the development of a chip-sized device, consisting of micrometer-sized fence structures fabricated in a microchannel, for the separation of large DNA molecules (over 10 kbp) based on the principle of size exclusion chromatography (SEC). In order to achieve separation, two approaches were utilized: first, the DNA samples were concentrated immediately prior to separation using nanoslit structures, with the aim of improving the resolution. Second, a theoretical model of SEC-based separation was established and applied in order to predict the optimal voltage range for separation. In this study, we achieved separation of λ DNA (48.5 kbp) and T4 DNA (166 kbp) using the present SEC-based microchip.