ABSTRACT
The apolipoprotein B (apoB) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) alleles containing larger repeat units is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) in entangled polymer solution was applied to the analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified apoB VNTR locus for DNA diagnosis of heart disease. The CE separation gives an excellent resolution of two alleles differing by one or two 16 bp repeat units in the DNA size range up to 600 bp with high speed. The apoB alleles differing in length by 2 or 4 repeat units are readily distinguishable by CE in the DNA size range from 600 to 1000 bp. The plate number achieved was 1 million plates per meter. CE combining with PCR provides an excellent technique for accurate determination of the number of repeat units of apoB VNTR alleles and differentiation of heterozygous from homozygous individuals. Using the CE technique, the apoB VNTR loci from some individuals in genotyping were examined towards precise DNA diagnosis for coronary heart disease.
Subject(s)
Apolipoproteins B/genetics , DNA/analysis , Electrophoresis, Capillary/methods , Heart Diseases/diagnosis , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid , Base Sequence , DNA/chemistry , Heart Diseases/genetics , Heterozygote , Homozygote , Humans , Molecular Sequence Data , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
High-resolution separation of a PCR product from a mixture of DNA restriction fragments was achieved using capillary gel electrophoresis. The capillary gel electrophoretic separation gives an excellent resolution of two fragments of the 500-bp PCR product and the 506-bp DNA fragment, which differs by only 6 bp, and the complete separation of a broader chain length range of DNA afragments up to 12 kbp within 20 min. The plate number of gel-filled capillary was achieved to be 2 million plates per meter. Capillary gel electrophoresis is applied to the gene diagnosis for heart disease through apolipoprotein E genotyping. The advantages and limitations of capillary gel electrophoresis in the application to PCR analysis and DNA diagnosis are discussed.
