Lab 8: Protein Assay Flashcards
What two molecules can be studied to study gene expression?
RNA and proteins
Why is it challenging to work with RNA?
It isn’t as stable as DNA and is easily degraded
Why do proteins need to be kept on ice until they are used?
Prevents denaturation and degradation from environmental proteases
What can SDS-PAGE tell us?
The size and amount of a protein present
What is induction?
Turning on gene expression by using another molecule
What is a Bradford assay?
A technique used to measure the concentration of a protein sample by comparing it to a standard curve
How does the Coomassie Brilliant Blue dye tell us the concentration of a protein in a sample?
When there is no protein, the dye is brown. When there is protein, it binds to the aromatic and basic amino acid residues and turns blue
What is on the X and Y axis of the standard protein curve?
Y axis is the absorbance, X is the known concentrations of protein
What was the protein used for the standard curve?
BSA
What was used as a blank for the Bradford assay?
Water
How do we find the concentrations of our unknown protein samples?
Compare them to the standard curve and use the y = mx + b equation to calculate it
