Bio-Rad Model 225 Tube Gel Casting Stand - Manual (Page 10)

Important
This Bio-Rad instrument is designed and certified to meet IEC1010-1* safety
standards. Certified products are safe to use when operated in accordance with
the instruction manual. This instrument should not be modified or altered in any
way. Alteration of this instrument will:
• Void the manufacturer's warranty
• Void the IEC1010-1 safety certification
• Create a potential safety hazard
Bio-Rad is not responsible for any injury or damage caused by the use of this
instrument for purposes other than for which it is intended or by modification of the
instrument not performed by Bio-Rad or an authorized agent.
*IEC1010-1 is an internationally accepted electrical safety standard for laboratory instruments
Section 5
The First-Dimension (IEF)
5.1 First-Dimension Tube Gels
Careful casting of the tube gels is extremely important for gel to gel reproducibility.
If the tube gels are not the same length, then the R
m
values for the IEF dimension
will vary from gel to gel, and it will be difficult to compare spots on different gels.
Casting and running two or three gels per sample is recommended, in case
some gels are lost during the procedure. It is also suggested that you go through
the procedure once or twice with standards or samples not essential to your
research program, to become familiar with the procedure.
Note: A minimum of 4–8 tubes must be run at a time. The exact minimum number
of tubes depends on the power supply, and it’s capability to read and maintain low
amperage.
5.2 Casting Tube Gels
1. Seal one end of the casting tube with several layers of Parafilm laboratory film.
2. Fill the casting tube with capillary gel tubes so that the blue stripped ends of
the gel tubes are at the open end of the casting tube. The capillary gel tubes
must be kept vertical. This is best achieved by filling the casting tube full with
capillary gel tubes. A glass rod can be used to take up space, if necessary.
3. Prepare a clamp and ring stand or a tube rack (catalog #165-2020) to maintain
the casting tube in a vertical position. The casting tube will also stand on a
benchtop without support, although it is much less stable. In any case, the
casting tube must be kept vertical and level to obtain reproducible tube gels.
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