Criterion® Dodeca™ Cell Instruction Manual Catalog Number 165-4130 For Technical Service Call Your Local Bio-Rad Office or in the U.S.
Table of Contents Page Section 1 General Information....................................................................................1 1.1 1.2 1.3 Introduction ................................................................................................................1 Safety ..........................................................................................................................1 Components..........................................................................................
Section 1 General Information 1.1 Introduction The Criterion Dodeca Cell is a multi-cell for mini-vertical gel electrophoresis. It can run one to twelve Criterion gels simultaneously. Table 1.
Note: This Bio-Rad instrument is designed for laboratory use only and is certified to meet EN-61010 safety standards. Operation of this product is subject to the condition that no harmful radio interference is caused and that any interference must be accepted. 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.
Table 2. Description of Parts Buffer tank and lid Cooling coil Electrode assembly Drain port Buffer overfill drain ports Gel cassette Cassette-opening tool The buffer tank and lid combine to fully enclose the inner chamber during electrophoresis. The lid cannot be removed without disrupting the electrical circuit. The buffer fill level and gel cassette orientation are indicated with labels. The integrated cooling coil chills the lower buffer chamber.
Tris/Acetic Acid/EDTA (TAE) 40 mM Tris, 20 mM acetic acid, 1 mM EDTA, pH 8.0 Premixed buffers are available (see Section 4.) Dilute the premixed 10x buffers (10x Tris/Glycine/SDS, 10x Tris/Glycine, 10x Tris/Tricine/SDS, 10x TBE, and 50x TAE) to a working concentration of 1x. Mix one liter of the premixed 10x buffer with 9 liters of distilled water to prepare 10 liters of running buffer. 2.
d. Load samples with a Hamilton syringe or a pipette with gel loading tips. Alternatively, use the sample loading guide to align the pipet tip with the sample wells. Note: If sample diffusion is of concern during loading, 2 or 3 gels may be loaded outside the tank and then transferred into the tank to be run under very low voltage (10–20 volts). Then the next 2 or 3 gels may be loaded and inserted into the tank and run at 10–20 volts. This process is continued until all gels are loaded and ready to run.
Table 4. Running Conditions (for 12 Criterion precast gels, 1.0 mm thickness) Gel and Buffer System Voltage Initial Current (approximate) Final Current (approximate) Run Time (approximate) Tris-HCl Tris/Glycine/SDS or Tris/Glycine 200 V 1.0–1.4 A 400–500 mA 56 minutes The PowerPac 200 power supply will be limited at maximum power of 200W for a few minutes (5–10 minutes) at this time the voltage will read less than the indicated voltage setting (about 180 V).
d. Invert the cassette and place the end of the Integral Buffer Chamber of the gel cassette on the cassette-opening tool which is built into the Criterion Dodeca Cell tank. Holding the cassette upside down with two hands, position one end of the integral buffer chamber directly over the top of the wedge protrusion on the tank. Firmly press down on the cassette to crack the cassette weld. Repeat for the other end of the integral buffer chamber. First crack the weld on one side.
b) Connect the male fittings from the refrigerated circulator to the female fittings on the Criterion Dodeca Cell. The cooling coil in the Dodeca Cell has no specific orientation, so it is not important which direction the flow goes. A refrigerated circulator is not required for running Tris-HCl, TBE and TBE-Urea gels because the large volume of buffer serves as a sufficient heat sink.
Section 4 Troubleshooting Guide Problem Cause 1 Smile effect – band a. Center of the gel running pattern curves upward at hotter than either end both sides of the gel 2. Run takes unusually long time. b. Power conditions are excessive a. Ion depletion in running buffer (lower tank) b. Running buffer too concentrated. 3. Changes in protein mobility or band sharpness. 4. SDS is precipitating. a. Ion depletion in running buffer (lower tank) 5. Vertical streaking of proteins. a.
Problem 9. End gels are running faster than the center gels. 10. Sample not migrating Cause a. Buffer is warmer at the ends of the cell than the center. a. Tape is still on the bottom of the gel. b. No electrical connection. Solution a. Ensure the stir bar is freely rotating to maintain a constant buffer temperature. a. Remove the white tape prior to electrophoresis. b.Check continuity of electrode wires in lid and tank.
Section 6 Warranty Information The Criterion Dodeca Cell is warranted for 1 year against defects in materials and workmanship. If any defects should occur during this warranty period, Bio-Rad Laboratories will replace the defective parts without charge. However, the following defects are specifically excluded: 1. Defects caused by improper operation. 2. Repairs or modifications performed by anyone other than Bio-Rad Laboratories or their authorized agent. 3. Damage caused by accidental misuse. 4.
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