The Use of 2-Chloroethanol for Reversible Depolymerisation of the Protein Shell of Bacteriophage fr
1970 ◽
Vol 25
(7)
◽
pp. 711-713
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Keyword(s):
In mixtures of 1 volume of buffer and 2 volumes of 2-chloroethanol, the icosahedral bacteriophage fr is split into RNA and monomeric protein subunits. After removal of the RNA and after replacement of the organic solvent by water, viruslike particles can be obtained by dialysis of the protein against neutral buffers of high ionic strength, whereas multishell particles are formed in buffers of low ionic strength. All results achieved by the use of 2-chloroethanol are very similar to those obtained using acetic acid.