scholarly journals Incorrect Molecular Weights due to inaccurate Prestained Protein Molecular Weight Markers that are used for Gel Electrophoresis and Western Blotting

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rômulo Leão Silva Neris ◽  
Ajuni Kaur ◽  
Aldrin V. Gomes

ABSTRACTThe most widely used Western blotting protein standards are prestained proteins of known molecular mass (kDa). They are also utilized for sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE) to determine the molecular mass of proteins separated by electrophoresis. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of different commercially available protein standards in predicting accurate protein molecular weights. We performed this experiment by running Criterion TGX gels with five prestained protein standards (Thermo Fisher SeeBlue Plus 2, Bio-Rad Precision Plus Protein Dual-color, Thermo Fisher Spectra Multi-color, Novex-Sharp Pre-stained, and Invitrogen iBright Pre-Stained). To evaluate their accuracy, we utilized highly purified Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA, 66.44 kDa) and Cytochrome C (Cyto C, 11.62 kDa). We also made use of the dimers of BSA (132.88 kDa) and Cyt C (23.24 kDa) that are present on SDS-PAGE gels. Our results suggest that three of the standards were less accurate at higher molecular masses with the iBright marker having the highest error in determining the expected 132.88 kDa molecular weight. The SeeBlue Plus 2 was accurate at identifying the 132.88 kDa molecular weight protein band but was less reliable for the three other lower molecular weight proteins. These findings have significant implications for the determination of protein masses because researchers rely on these standards to evaluate the molecular masses of their protein(s). We suggest that at least two different protein standards should be initially used in electrophoresis gels and for Western blotting in order to get accurate protein molecular weight results.

1974 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Wright ◽  
Donald Boulter

Zonal isoelectric precipitation was shown to be an effective method for the preparation of legumin which was homogeneous as judged by ultracentrifugation and polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The subunit structure of legumin was investigated by preparative sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and ion-exchange chromatography in urea. Five distinct subunits, of which two were acidic (α) and had a molecular weight of 37000, and three were basic (β) with molecular weights of 20100, 20900 and 23800, were identified. The α and β subunits were present in equimolar amounts in the legumin molecule and, in view of this and molecular-weight considerations, an α6β6 subunit model was proposed for legumin.


1985 ◽  
Vol 162 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
K B Elkon ◽  
A P Parnassa ◽  
C L Foster

All nine SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) sera with antiribosomal antibody activity targeted the same three ribosomal protein antigens, of molecular masses 38 and 17/19 kD when analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. One serum reacted with an additional protein of approximately kD. Ribosomal subunit fractionation by composite gel electrophoresis and sucrose density ultracentrifugation showed that these proteins were part of the large subunit. Isoelectric focusing in agarose, and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the antigens had pI between 4.5 and 6.5, but that the 17/19 kD antigens were more acidic than the 38 kD antigen. Similarities in the molecular masses, charges, as well as the presence of highly conserved crossreactive epitopes, failure to bind to carboxymethylcellulose at pH 4.2, and extractability of the 17/19 kD proteins by 400 mM NH4Cl-ethanol at 0 degrees C indicated that these antigens were analogous to the proteins P0 (38 kD) and P1/P2 (17/19 kD) described previously (25, 36). Co-identity was confirmed using reference antibodies and antigen. Although antibodies to these proteins were only found in 5-10% of more than 50 sera screened by radioimmunoassay or Western blotting, the selective production of antibodies to epitopes on three (out of a total of more than 80) ribosomal proteins may provide further clues to autoantibody induction of SLE.


2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 919
Author(s):  
H. Nakamura

Hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) endosperm protein fingerprints were used to determine the indices of Japanese soft Udon-noodle quality. The endosperm proteins of Japanese Udon wheat lines were fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine differences between them in protein composition in two soil environments. The differences between the lines included differences in the composition of the endosperm with regard to the 53 kDa protein band or high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) 2* and in the sensory viscoelasticity score of cooked noodles, which is related to eating-quality in Japanese Udon wheats. One line (Kanto 107) showed variation for the presence of the 53 kDa and HMW-GS 2* bands between environments.


1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (12) ◽  
pp. 1029-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Saleem ◽  
Burr Atkinson

Rat liver ribosomes prepared in low salt buffer contain basic and acidic proteins not found on ribosomes washed in high salt buffer. Proteins extracted from liver ribosomes by 500 mM KCl were characterized by acid urea–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel isoelectric focusing. The salt-solubilized proteins contain 12 polypeptides with a molecular weight over 67 000, several polypeptides with molecular weights less than 67 000, and three polypeptides whose molecular weight exceeded 130 000. Ten to 12 of the proteins were basic, and about 24 acidic proteins were partially or wholly extracted from the ribosomes. Four of the acidic proteins have isoelectric points less than 4.5.


1977 ◽  
Vol 163 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
D V Marinkovic ◽  
J N Marinkovic

Hexosaminidase forms A and B were isolated from human kidney in a homogeneous state as demonstrated by electrophoretic and enzymic criteria. The enzymes were stable for at least 18 months when stored at -20 degrees C in 0.025 M-phosphate buffer, pH 6.5. The molecular weights of forms A and B were estimated by gel filtration to be 111 000 +/- 1500 and 114 000 +/- 1600 respectively. The molecular weights of hexosamidase A and B subunits were determined by using polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. Hexosaminidase A dissociated into one subunit with mol.wt. 68 000. Hexosaminidase B dissociated into three subunits with mol. wts. 100 000, 68 000 and 37000 respectively, and one protein band of mol.wt. 140 000. After treatment of hexosaminidases A and B with iodoacetic acid, the molecular weights of the carboxymethylated polypeptide subunits were also estimated. Carboxymethylated hexosaminidase A dissociated into one major subunit of mol.wt. 18 000 and two other protein bands of mol.wts. 65 000 and 100 000. Carboxymethylated hexosaminidase B dissociated into one major subunit for mol.wt. 19 000 and an additional band of mol.wt. 37 000. The Km of the enzymes for the synthetic substrate p-nitrophenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside was 0.8 mM. Both enzymes were inhibited or activated by various metal ions. Double pH optima for the enzymes were found at pH 4.5 and 4.8.


1992 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Sugane ◽  
Shu-Han Sun ◽  
Tadashi Matsuura

ABSTRACTAnisakis simplex larvae were cultured in vitro in medium containing 35-methionine for ten days. The medium and the larval tissues were analysed for biosynthetically labelled polypeptide by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Immunoprecipitates with positive and negative human antisera were similarly analysed, using Staphylococcus aureus to absorb immunocomplexes. ES products of Anisakis larvae contained many polypeptides with molecular weights of less than 200 K. 180 KDa and 40 KDa polypeptides in ES products reacted with IgG in Anisakis-infected human sera. Somatic extracts also contained many polypeptides with molecular weights of less than 200 K. One of these polypeptides with a molecular weight of 130 K reacted with IgG in Anisakis-infected human sera. These polypeptides did not react with other nematode-infected human sera.


1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 949-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Jeavons ◽  
A. J. Hamilton ◽  
N. Vanittanakom ◽  
R. Ungpakorn ◽  
E. G. V. Evans ◽  
...  

Disseminated infection with the dimorphic pathogenic fungusPenicillium marneffei is increasingly seen among patients with AIDS in southeast Asian countries. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of humoral immune responses to this fungus in patient sera; we have confirmed this work using sera from P. marneffei-infected patients (n = 21) to develop Western blots of P. marneffei cytoplasmic yeast antigen (CYA). P. marneffei CYA was then partially purified by liquid isoelectric focusing, and fractions were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. Immunoenzyme development of the Western blots with pooled sera from patients with P. marneffei infection and with pooled sera from patients with aspergillosis (n = 20), candidiasis (n = 10), cryptococcosis (n = 9), and histoplasmosis (n = 11) revealed three antigens with relative molecular masses of 61, 54, and 50 kDa. These antigens were specifically recognized by the pooled sera from the P. marneffei-infected patients. The 61- and 54-kDa antigens were subsequently purified to homogeneity by preparative gel electrophoresis, and the 50-kDa antigen was partially purified by the same technique. N-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed that the 61-kDa antigen had a strong homology (87% identity) with the antioxidant enzyme catalase. The three antigens were then subjected to SDS-PAGE and Western blotting and to immunoenzyme development with individual patient sera; sera from 86% of P. marneffei-infected patients recognized the 61-kDa antigen, sera from 71% recognized the 54-kDa antigen, and sera from 48% recognized the 50-kDa antigen. These specifically recognized antigens are the first to be purified from P. marneffei and can be used either singly or in combination to detect antibody responses in a large percentage of individuals infected with P. marneffei.


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