Purification of colored photosynthetic proteins for understanding protein isolation principles
✍ Scribed by M. Teresa Bes; Javier Sancho; M. Luisa Peleato; Milagros Medina; Carlos Gómez-Moreno; María F. Fillat
- Publisher
- The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 112 KB
- Volume
- 31
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1470-8175
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The purification of a protein is the essential initial step in the study of its physical and biological properties and is one of the most common procedures in biochemistry. This article describes a method for teaching purification skills through the partial isolation of ferredoxin‐NADP^+^ reductase and ferredoxin from a single cell batch. The method has been used for several years in an introductory biochemistry course using spinach leaves as cellular source. The protocol gives a complete picture of the preparation of a crude extract and the subsequent isolation of both electron transport proteins on a laboratory scale. It introduces students to the use of different techniques for the purification and detection of proteins and allows them to develop a number of valuable experimental and analytical skills without necessarily resorting to complicated or expensive equipment.