Taxonomy of Finfish (1+2)

6.2.5 Starch Gel Electrophoresis

In this type of electrophoresis, starch is used as the support media. The molecular sieving properties of starch make it good choice for the separation of complex mixtures of structural molecules and physiologically active proteins. Starch gel is prepared by mixing hydrolyzed potato starch with an electrolyte buffer, cooking until a gel of uniform consistency is achieved, followed by pouring the gel into a mold. The ends of the longer section of the gel are placed gently on the absorbent towels or filter paper in the lower (anodal) buffer tank. Each tank is approximately one-third filled with chilled electrode buffer.

Voltage, current and duration of the electrophoresis and other requirements vary widely among buffer systems for particular electrophoretic separations. Gels should be run in the cold chambers to produce sharp and straight lines of migration and to minimize heat production in overnight conditions usually requiring a constant 200V and variable current of not more than 30mA. An important application of starch gel electrophoresis is the analysis of allozyme pattern.