Plasmid DNA (pDNA) plays an important role in modern biotechnology, particularly in the development of gene therapy and DNA or mRNA vaccines. The production of pDNA
involves the design of plasmid vectors, their cultivation, purification, and both intermediate and final analysis. Following alkaline lysis of bacterial cells, impurities such as RNA, proteins, and chromosomal DNA are first removed using various chromatographic and nonchromatographic techniques, with the aim of obtaining a product with a high content of the supercoiled form (SC) of pDNA. In the final product, capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) is used for precise determination of individual isoforms of pDNA, where low conductivity of the analysed sample is crucial for efficient electrokinetic injection.
In this master’s thesis, we focused on CGE analysis of a complex biological sample – E. coli lysate – and for this purpose we investigated and optimised methods for its appropriate sample preparation. Experimental work confirmed that pDNA sample preparation is essential for successful CGE analysis. Centrifugal filters were tested for the removal of salts from the lysate. Filters with a regenerated cellulose membrane and 10 kDa MWCO gave the best results, as they enabled efficient salt removal with minimal loss of RNA and pDNA. We found that three centrifugation cycles represented the optimal balance between time efficiency and sensitivity achieved in CGE analysis.
As an alternative, we tested a prototype monolithic spin column, based on the principle of anion-exchange chromatography. Nucleic acids from the lysate were bound to the column under specific conditions and then successfully eluted with 0.1x TBE buffer suitable for further CGE analysis. This approach allowed even more efficient salt removal than centrifugal filters, with shorter processing time and relatively low nucleic acid loss, which was also confirmed with liquid chromatography analysis.
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