EVALUATION OF CELL ELECTROPHORETIC MOBILITY USING MICROCAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS CHIPS

摘要

Cell membrane proteins contain specific and beneficial information about individual cells. The measurement of cell surface charge is a promising method for characterizing individual cells. Recently, we reported the measurement of cell electrophoretic mobility (EPM) using microcapillary electrophoresis (μCE) chips. The surface modification of the inner walls of microchannets is essential to prevent the nonspecific adhesion of cells and obtain correct electrophoretic velocity without artifacts due to cell-wall interactions. In the present study, we examine chips coated with three different reagents and measure the EPM of sheep erythrocyte for a range of pH values. The zeta potential of the cell surface was estimated from these data. Cell EPM obtained using μCE chips increased with increasing pH. In conclusion, this work demonstrates the reproducibility and accuracy of cell EPM data measured using μCE chips over a wide range of pH.