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Electrophoretic Methods in Protein Analysis. Th. Kleinert. Georg Thieme Verlag,

Stuttgart-New York, 1990, ISBN 3-13-756601-0, 248 pp., DM 68.00.

In recent years the importance of proteins in biotechnology and medicine has

increased because of recombinant DNA technology. For more than 30 years
electrophoretic methods have been used to analyse and characterize the proteins and
mixtures of them. Electrophoretic methods have the following advantages: (i) high
number of samples can be processed simultaneously, (ii) focusing techniques are
possible, (iii) highly sensitive enzyme assay can be carried out after electrophoretic
separations, (iv) visibilization of proteins after electrophoresis requires no expensive
detectors.
In this manual, the commonly used gel electrophoretic methods are described in
detail. In Chapter 1 the electrophoretic separation process, the classification and the
history of such processes are described. In Chapter 2 the fundamentals and the
application of the following techniques are covered: (i) conventional electrophoresis,
(ii) SDS-electrophoresis, (iii) isoelectric focusing, (iv) two-dimensional electrophore-
sis.
The practice of electrophoresis is described in detail in Chapter 3. The require-
ments as to the apparatus and the chemical substances, safety precautions, the
storage of gels, the use of the techniques from chapter 2, and preparative isoelectric
focusing are specified. Examples of experiment records were also given. Another
chapter deals with staining of the gels, autoradiography, fluorography, elution of the
proteins, zymogram, immunofixation, and blotting. In Chapters 5 and 6 the
densitometry and modem trends in electrophoresis are described. The supplement
containing a troubleshooting guide is a very helpful chapter to those who use gel
electrophoresis.
This manual is a fundamental guide both for newcomers to this field and for the
more experienced colleagues who wish to extend their experimental repertoire of gel
electrophoresis of proteins; with the exception of immunotechniques.

J. SCHULZ
Jena