> What are the different techniques that are used to separate and
> identify proteins?
There are a huge number of different techniques that can be used for
separating and identifying proteins. Here are a few examples:
SEPARATING:
* polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). This can separate proteins by
molecular weight if the proteins are linearised using something like sodium
dodecyl sulphate (SDS).
* isoelectric focusing (IEF). This separates proteins based on their pI (the
pH at which the protein has a net neutral charge).
* chromatography columns. Various types of chromatography columns can be
used to separate proteins based on size, pI, chemical properties, or
identity (using antibodies to specific proteins).
IDENTIFYING:
* antibodies. These can be raised to specific epitopes (short stretches of
amino acids) within a specific protein and later used to identify that
specific protein from a complex mixture.
* enzymatic properties. Certain enzymes can be identified based on the
conversion of specific substrates to specific products.
There are many more examples, but I hope this is a helpful start.
Daniel.
<http://www.biowww.net/forum/read.php?f=6&i=337&t=316>
