Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
In an electroelution device used in the preparative scale recovery of macromolecules from an electrophoretic gel and installed between the electrodes of an electrophoretic cell, the improvement comprising said device comprising a gel receiving receptacle, an aperture in the base of the receptacle, a first membrane substantially permeable to the macromolecules desired to be recovered covering the aperture, a second membrane, substantially impermeable to the macromolecules to be recovered but permeable to electrolyte molecules in a buffer solution used in electrophoresis, lying in spaced apart array with the first membrane to define therebetween a recovery space, and means to allow the periodic or continuous withdrawal of buffer solution and macromolecules from the recovery space.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
114 words
In an electroelution device used in the preparative scale recovery of macromolecules from an electrophoretic gel and installed between the electrodes of an electrophoretic cell, the improvement comprising said device comprising a gel receiving receptacle, an aperture in the base of the receptacle, a first membrane substantially permeable to the macromolecules desired to be recovered covering the aperture, a second membrane, substantially impermeable to the macromolecules to be recovered but permeable to electrolyte molecules in a buffer solution used in electrophoresis, lying in spaced apart array with the first membrane to define therebetween a recovery space, and means to allow the periodic or continuous withdrawal of buffer solution and macromolecules from the recovery space.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
An electroelution device as claimed in claim 1 in which the gel receiving receptacle is adapted to receive an end of an electrophoretic gel slab.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
An electroelution device as claimed in claim 1 in which the gel receiving receptacle is adapted to receive a macerated portion of an electrophoretic gel containing an electrophoretically separated macromolecule.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
An electroelution device as claimed in claim 1 in which the gel receiving space in a cross section transversely to the path of an electrophoretic current passing through the device and the dimensions of one pair of sides of that rectangle is substantially larger than the dimensions of the other pair of sides.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
An electroelution device as claimed in claim 1 in which one or both of the membranes is formed of paper impregnated with polyacrylamide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
An electroelution device as claimed in claim 1 in which the first membrane has a pore size such that molecules of molecular weights of from 10,000 to 1,000,000 may pass therethrough.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
An electroelution device as claimed in claim 1 in which the withdrawal of macromolecules from the recovery space includes a pair of tubes one of which communicates with each end of the recovery space.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
A method for the preparative scale recovery of macromolecules from an electrophoretic gel comprising placing an electrophoretic gel containing macromolecules to be recovered into the gel receiving receptacle of an electroelution device according to claim 1, applying an electric potential across the device to cause the macromolecules to migrate through the first membrane into the recovery space, and recovering the macromolecules from the recovery space of the said device.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method as claimed in claim 8 in which the macromolecules are proteins.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method as claimed in claim 8 in which the macromolecules are periodically withdrawn from the recovery space and the space then flushed with buffer prior to the collection of further macromolecules in the recovery space.