Rapid isolation of insect ribosomal subunits by ethanol-magnesium precipitation
✍ Scribed by M.S. Kaulenas
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1971
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 326 KB
- Volume
- 41
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0003-2697
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✦ Synopsis
The availability of bacterial ribosomal subunits has allowed the detailed study of the mechanisms and control of protein synthesis in prokaryotes
(1,2). Techniques for the isolation of active subunits of eukaryote ribosomes are now available (3,4) ; the separation of subunits is achieved by gradient centrifugation, with recovery of the particles usually being effected by centrifugation (5). Subunits prepared from Acheta domesticus ribosomes tend to lose their capacity for protein synthesis during the sedimentation step used to pellet the particles from gradient fractions. Dissociated ribosomes from other eukaryotes may also be inactivated by prolonged handling (6). A more rapid procedure for the concentration of subunits would clearly be advantageous in these cases. Ethanol has been employed in the study of partial reactions with bacterial ribosomes (7), and may be used to precipitate such ribosomes while retaining t.heir protein synthetic activity (8). The applicability of ethanol precipitation in the isolation of cukaryote ribosomes and subunits has been investigated.