Ion-affinity electrophoresis. Preparation and properties of phosphorylated polyacrylamide gels.

Strong, pliable polyacrylamide gels containing covalently bound phosphate groups have been formed by radical-initiated copolymerization of acrylamide and a phosphorylated, N-substituted derivative of acrylamide. Under conditions of disc electrophoresis, the gels provide enhanced resolution in the separation of hemoglobin A from S, and separate two forms of yeast glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and rabbit muscle glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Preliminary evidence suggests that the improved resolution is due to ionic adsorption of the proteins to immobilized phosphate groups, implying that the gels may function as supports for electrophoretically powered separations involving ion-exchange or affinity chromatography.