Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis.

The introduction of two-dimensional fluorescent difference gel electrophoresis has enabled the extensive screening of differential protein expression levels with higher confidence and greater sensitivity than using the classical two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) approach. Using this technology, multiple protein samples can be labeled with up to three different fluorescent dyes. These labeled protein samples are mixed and applied on the same 2DE gel, subsequently scanned and analyzed by specialized software tools. The possibility to run two or more protein samples on a single gel, as well as the introduction of an internal standard on each gel drastically reduces the gel-to-gel variability and thus results in higher levels of certainty with regard to the differential character of the expressed proteins.