Gel electrophoresis

About: Gel electrophoresis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 26026 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1113565 citations.

Features and applications of blue-native and clear-native electrophoresis

Abstract: 1-D native electrophoresis is used for the separation of individual proteins, protein complexes, and supercomplexes. Stable and labile protein-protein interactions can be identified depending on detergent and buffer conditions. 1-D native gels are immediately applicable for in-gel detection of fluorescent-labeled proteins and for in-gel catalytic activity assays. 1-D native gels and blots are used to determine native mass and oligomeric state of membrane proteins. Protein extracts from 1-D native gels are used for generation of antibodies, for proteomic work, and for advanced structural investigations. 2-D separation of subunits of protein complexes by SDS-PAGE is mostly used for immunological and proteomic studies. Following the discussion of these general features, specific applications of native electrophoresis techniques in various research fields are highlighted: immunological and receptor studies, biogenesis and assembly of membrane protein complexes, protein import into organelles, dynamics of proteasomes, proteome and subproteome investigations, the identification and quantification of mitochondrial alterations in apoptosis, carcinogenesis, and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and the vast variety of mitochondrial encephalomyopathies.

Analysis of H-2 and Ia molecules by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Abstract: Mouse lymphocyte H-2 and Ia glycoproteins have been analyzed with a two-dimensional (2-D) acrylamide gel electrophoresis technique, in which proteins are separated first according to their charge in isoelectrofocusing gels and then according to their size in sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. Individual polypeptide chains from radiolabeled cells are resolved as discrete spots on autoradiograms of the gels, forming patterns which are characteristic of the proteins in the sample. 2-D gels of H-2K, H-2D, and Ia glycoproteins immunoprecipitated from 35S-methionine-labeled cells reveal that these proteins exist in the cells as complex arrays of molecules heterogeneous in both size and charge. Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed radioiodination of lymphocyte surfaces labels only subsets of the total H-2 and Ia molecules with 125I, indicating that some of the molecules may represent cytoplasmic precursors of the cell surface proteins. This theory is supported by the kinetics of labeling of various spots in 35S-methionine pulse-chase experiments. The 2-D gel patterns obtained for both H-2 and Ia antigens have also been shown to be haplotype-specific and independent of the genetic background.

Rapid, nonradioactive detection of clonal t-cell receptor gene rearrangements in lymphoid neoplasms

Abstract: Southern blot hybridization analysis of clonal antigen receptor gene rearrangements has proved to be a valuable adjunct to conventional methods for diagnosing lymphoid neoplasia. However, Southern blot analysis suffers from a number of technical disadvantages, including the time necessary to obtain results, the use of radioactivity, and the susceptibility of the method to various artifacts. We have investigated an alternative approach for assessing the clonality of antigen receptor gene rearrangements in lymphoid tissue biopsy specimens. This approach involves the amplification of rearranged gamma T-cell receptor genes by the polymerase chain reaction and analysis of the polymerase chain reaction products by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. By use of this approach, clonal rearrangements from neoplastic lymphocytes constituting as little as 0.1-1% of the total cells in the tissue are detected as discrete bands in the denaturing gel after the gel is stained with ethidium bromide and viewed under ultraviolet light. In contrast, polyclonal rearrangements from reactive lymphocytes appear as a diffuse smear along the length of the gel. Our findings suggest that polymerase chain reaction combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis may offer a rapid, nonradioactive, and sensitive alternative to Southern blot analysis for the diagnostic evaluation of lymphoid tissue biopsy specimens.

Mobility Shift DNA‐Binding Assay Using Gel Electrophoresis

Abstract: The DNA-binding assay using nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) provides a simple, rapid, and extremely sensitive method for detecting sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. Proteins that bind specifically to an end-labeled DNA fragment retard the mobility of the fragment during electrophoresis, resulting in discrete bands corresponding to the individual protein-DNA complexes. The assay described in this unit can be used to test binding of purified proteins or of uncharacterized factors found in crude extracts. This assay also permits quantitative determination of the affinity, abundance, association rate constants, dissociation rate constants, and binding specificity of DNA-binding proteins. Three additional protocols describe a competition assay using unlabeled competitor DNA, an antibody supershift assay, and multicomponent gel shift assays.