Protein Purification Flashcards
What is the function of protein purification?
Selectively isolating a single protein to analyze it
What should we take advantage of during protein purification?
Physiochemical properties
What are the four parameters to look out for during protein purification?
1) Solubility
2) Size
3) Charge
4) Affinity Chromatography
What do we hope to achieve through protein purification processes?
Augment % of a given protein, while diminishing the % of proteins you’re not interested in
What is the function of the assay method?
Allows you to monitor the level of a protein to determine that the desired assay is being enriched
Name the 3 types of assay methods.
1) Enzymatic activity
2) Bioassay
3) Immunological-ELISA and immunoblot
Which assay method is highly specific?
Immunological-ELISA and immunoblot
How does Immunological-ELISA and immunoblot work?
You need to have an antibody that recognizes the protein of interest, amount of colour change = proportional to % (more antibodies recognize)
What does specific activity measure?
The purification of a protein from a complex is monitored by specific activity
What is the specific activity formula?
Spec. act. = total activity/total protein
What are the units of specific activity?
Units of activity/mg of total protein
What does ammonium sulphate precipitation do?
Disrupt the water shell that surrounds the protein in solution.
What is a native technique?
Techniques that do not denature proteins
Is ammonium sulphate precipitation a native technique?
Yes
How do we bring back a protein into a solution after we have performed ammonium sulphate precipitation?
Add a buffer
Is ammonium sulphate precipitation powerful? Name an advantage
Not powerful, but can use in large amounts
Is there a protocol for protein purification?
No protocol, make sure its logical and specific activity goes up
Name the three types of chromatography and their parameters.
1) Gel filtration (size)
2) Ion exchange (charge)
3) Ligand or antibodies (affinity)
Define chromatography.
The process of differentially separating molecules on the basis of their interaction with a solid support.
What does chromatography require?
1) Stationary phase
2) Mobile phase
Define the stationary phase. Give examples.
Support matrix, with which components to be separated interact
ex: chalk, TLC
Define the mobile phase. Give examples.
Solvent that promotes the differential partitioning of a molecule from the stationary phase.
ex: alcohol, gas
Do compounds move during chromatography?
Yes, they jump from the stationary to the mobile phase.
What can we say about compounds that come out first during chromatography?
Weaker interaction with the stationary phase
Gel permeation separates based on what parameter?
Basis of size
What happens to the small proteins during gel permeation? And the big?
Small proteins will diffuse to the beads, spend more time inside
Big proteins will stay on the outside and will come OFF the column first
What type of proteins come out first during gel permeation?
Big proteins, since they do not partition through the mbeads
Is gel permeation chromatography a native technique?
Yes
Name the 2 types of ion exchange chromatography.
1) Cation
2) Anion
Ion exchange separates based on what parameter?
Charge