Lecture 3: Protein Purification and Characterization Flashcards
What must be done to study a protein of interest?
- must be separated from all other cell components including other proteins
- this is so structures and functions of the protein of interest can be probed without any confounding effects of contamination
Properties of proteins important in separation
- solubility
- size
- charge
- polarity
- binding affinity
* has to be empirically optimized and specific for protein of interest
Charateristic: Solubility
Procedure?
- salting in
- salting out
Characteristic: Ionic charge
Procedures?
- ion exchange chromatography
- electrophoresis
- isoelectronic focusing
Characteristic: Polarity
Procedure?
- absorption chromatography
- paper chromatography
- reverse phase chromatography
- hydrophobic interaction chromatography
Characteristic: Molecular Size
Procedures?
- dialysis and ultrafiltration
- gel electrophoresis
- gel filtration chromatography
- ultracentrifugation
Characteristic: Binding Specificity
Procedures?
- affinity chromatography
Criteria to set before developing a purification process
- selection of protein source (cellular system - where are you looking for the protein?)
- methods of protein enrichment and solubilization (cell disruption, subcellular fracturation/centrifugation, membranre protein or soluble? )
- methods of protein stabilization (physiochemical conditions and protection from degradation, takes 2 days min to purify protein - how do you keep protein from degrading)
- protein assay or detection (enzymatic, antibody or other specific reactions - make sure the protein is in the sample)
Most common type of human protein?
- 2% enzymes
- 8% nucleic acids
- 4% unknown function!
Definition of centrifugation:
- process that involves the use of centrifugal force for the sedimentation of mixtures with a centrifuge
Sedimentation
- tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier
–> due to their motion through the fluid in resposne to forces (such as centrifugal acceleration) acting on them
- differences in sediment properties of proetinous cellular components can be used for various purposes from subcellular fractionation to estimation of molecular masses
Centrifugal force equation
Fc = m (w2) r
m= effective mass of a sedimenting particle
w (omega) = angular velocity of rotation (radian/sec)
r = distance of the migrating particle from the center of the axis of rotation
Force on sedimenting particle (relationship to other variables)
- the force on a sedimenting particle increases with:
- velocity of rotation (w2)
- effective mass of the sedimenting particle (m)
- and distance from the axis rotation (r)
*directly proportional to all
Fc = m (w2) r
Buoyant force exerted by the solution
FB = v (p) m (w2) r
force on sedimenting particle is reduced by the buoyant force exerted by solution
- v = the particles partial specific volume
- the volume change when 1g of particles is dissolved in an infinite solute volume
- for most proteins dissolved in water v = .74cm3/g
- p = density of the solution
Overall force on sedimenting particle
“sedimentation force”
Fs = Fc - Fb = m(1-vp)w2r
v = particles specific volume = .74cm3/g for most proteins dissolved in water
p = desnity of solution
w = angular velocity
r = radius
m = mass of partile
Frictional force
Sedimentaion force is opposed by frictional force
Ff = (dx/dt)f
dx/dt = migration rate of sedimenting particle
f = frictional coefficient
Sedimentation force = frictional force
under influence of sedimentation force, the particle accelerates until the forces on it exactly balance
s = (dx/dt)/w2r = m(1-vp)/f
1 Svedberg unit (S) = 10-3 sec (as in 70s ribosomes)
Measuring sedimentation coefficient
- can be measured by measuring the sedimenting particles at increasing time intervals
–> absorption sepctra for sedimenting proteins can be generated at a wavelength of 280 nm
- a boundary is created that proceeds towards higher r values with increasing time, yielding a characteristic sedimentation profile
–> this boundary becoems less steep with time because diffusion breaks down the concentration gradient that is formed by sedimentation
Correlation of molecular Mass and sedimentation coefficient
(most important equation?)
M = (RTs)/(D[1-vp])
M = moleular mass (m X N; N = avogardos number)
R = gas constant (8.3145 J/(mol x K)
D= diffusion coefficient
v= particle’s partial specific volume
p = density of medium
Diffusion coefficient of a sedimenting particle
ds/dt = -DA(dc/dx)
ds/dt = amount of solute diffusing across area A in time t
dc/dx = concentration gradient
D = diffusion coefficient (solute diffusing across a surface area of 1cm2 per sec)
What happens in differential centrifugation?
- a homogenate (mixture of disrupted cells) is centrifuged in a step by step fashion of increasing centrifugal force
- forms supernatants and pellets with different densities
- supernatants or pellets of each centrifugation step can be separated and further differentiated, depending on the cellular object of interest
Steps of tissue separation in differential centrifugation
–> tissue homogenate
–> whole cells, nuclei, cytoskeletons, plasma membranes
–> mitochondria, lysosomes, peroxisomes
–> microsomes (fragments of ER), small vesicles
–> ribosomes, large macromolecules
Preparative Centrifugation
- sedimentation is carried out in homogenous media or density gradients (CsCl or sucrose) to separate proetinous components in homogenates or other samples
Two applications employed:
- Zonal Centrifugation: based on velocity sedimentation, separates particles according to molecular mass
- Isopycnic Centrifugation: based on equilibrium sedimentation, separates particles according to their densities
Zonal Centrifugation
- separates according to molecular mass
- separate by sedimentation coefficient
high density gradient, slows down centrifugation, gets bands
Ispoycnic Centrifugation
- separates particles according to densities
- based on equilibrium sedimentation
- smaller particles move with less dense particles
- larger molecules move with more dense particles
Meselson and Stahl Experiment
- centrifugation to separate out different strands of DNA
- Used 15N to ID original strand of DNA
- when cells divided all new N was 14N
- proved the semiconservative model
parental DNA –> 1st generation (2 strands, each one side had 15N) –> second generation (four strands - 2 half 14N/ half 15N, 2 all 14N)
Main conclusion of the Meselson and stahl Experiment
DNA replication in E Coli is semiconservative
Salting Out
- describes the effect that at high ionic strengths the solubilities of proteins (and other substances) decrease, and proteins eventually precipitate
- primarily a result of the competition between the added salt ions (ammoniumsulfate is most common) and other dissolved solutes for molecules of solvation
- used to fractionate proteins (due to difference in precipitation points) or to concentrate diulted proteins
Why do proteins decrease solubility
- ionic interaction with H2O
- ionic interaction with protein itself –> precipitate