drying PAGE gels

[Ann Eastman]

To Eric and to Carol from Montana State U.:
I have had a lot of success drying PAGE gels and IEF slab gels by placing 
the gels between two pieces of cellulose acetate.  The basic procedure is 
to wet a sheet of the cellulose (available from BioRad), flatten it onto 
a glass plate that has a little glycerol on it, lay the gel on top, place 
the second sheet down, roll out any air bubbles, and secure the whole 
thing with a plexiglass frame and clips or use spacers and clips to make 
a frame.  Then let it air dry for a couple of days, depending on the gel 
thickness, percentage acrylamide etc.  After you take the thing apart, trim off
the excess and place it under a piece of paper with a weight on top to 
dry and flatten completely.  This produces (usually!) a very permanent,
flexible product that can be easily kept in a notebook.  The only 
problems that I have encountered are (1) you can't use this to dry gels
 containing sucrose, and (2) gels (especially low percentage) that have 
become enlarged (i.e. methanol content of last solution was too low) will 
shatter if not reduced in size by treatment with methanol.
Ann
Dept Botany, UBC, Vancouver, BC