Polymerization of SDS-PAGE gel by gamma irradiation and its use for characterization by electrophoresis of a protein

An SDS-PAGE gel strip was polymerized using a gamma irradiation process and used for electrophoresis. The relative mobility (Rf) and resolution of marker proteins were determined. Polymerization was induced by gamma irradiation in an acrylamide and N′-methylene bisacrylamide mixture with and without the polymerization initiators, ammonium persulfate (APS) and N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED). The calibration curves of log10 molecular weight of the protein versus the distance of the migration showed higher correlations in the gamma irradiated gel than in that of the APS-TEMED polymerized control. The Rf value of the protein was increased in the gel polymerized by gamma-irradiation.