TGGE temperature gradient electrophoresis system

The traditional electrophoretic separation method is based on the size and number of charged molecules, while TGGE adds a new separation parameter, namely molecular conformation. The conformation of a molecule depends on its secondary and tertiary structures, and is influenced by external factors such as temperature, salt concentration, and pH. A stable conformation is maintained by hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. When the temperature reaches a certain limit point, the hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces can be broken, causing the molecule to bifurcate and the migration rate to significantly decrease. This temperature is called the denaturation temperature (Tm). For DNA molecules of the same molecular weight, their denaturation temperature (Tm) varies depending on the molecular sequence. TGGE uses different Tm values to determine whether there are differences in molecular sequences. TGGE electrophoresis can not only separate DNA/RNA, but also provide information on DNA/RNA sequence or protein stability.