New Technique for Precise Alignment of an RNA Differential Display Gel with Its Film Image

摘要

Following electrophoresis of ampli-fied-DNA samples in an RNA differential display, particular bands are chosen and then cut from the dried gel for further analysis. The ability to properly align the gel and the exposed x-ray film largely determines the accuracy of the cutout. Techniques used now, such as tracing the outline of the gel onto the film, making pinholes through the gel and the film, and dotting the gel with fluorescent or radioactive dyes, are tedious, imprecise or unreliable. We offer anew method for ensuring precise alignment. In short, loading additional lanes of a radioactive mixture to the left and right of the experimental samples provides two borders. After completing the gel run, a freehand cut down the middle of each of the two radioactive borders creates unique boundaries on the gel that can be easily aligned with the matching image of the boundaries on the exposed film.