Buy article online - an online subscription or single-article purchase is required to access this article.
Download citation
Download citation
link to html
Crystallization has long been one of the bottlenecks in obtaining structural information at atomic resolution for membrane proteins. This is largely due to difficulties in obtaining high-quality protein samples. One frequently used indicator of protein quality for successful crystallization is the monodispersity of proteins in solution, which is conventionally obtained by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) or by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Although useful in evaluating the quality of soluble proteins, these methods are not always applicable to membrane proteins either because of the interference from detergent micelles or because of the requirement for large sample quantities. Here, the use of blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) to assess aggregation states of membrane protein samples is reported. A strong correlation is demonstrated between the monodispersity measured by BN-PAGE and the propensity for crystallization of a number of soluble and membrane protein complexes. Moreover, it is shown that there is a direct correspondence between the oligomeric states of proteins as measured by BN-PAGE and those obtained from their crystalline forms. When applied to a membrane protein with unknown structure, BN-PAGE was found to be useful and efficient for selecting well behaved proteins from various constructs and in screening detergents. Comparisons of BN-PAGE with DLS and SEC are provided.

Subscribe to Journal of Applied Crystallography

The full text of this article is available to subscribers to the journal.

If you have already registered and are using a computer listed in your registration details, please email support@iucr.org for assistance.

Buy online

You may purchase this article in PDF and/or HTML formats. For purchasers in the European Community who do not have a VAT number, VAT will be added at the local rate. Payments to the IUCr are handled by WorldPay, who will accept payment by credit card in several currencies. To purchase the article, please complete the form below (fields marked * are required), and then click on `Continue'.
E-mail address* 
Repeat e-mail address* 
(for error checking) 

Format*   PDF (US $40)
   HTML (US $40)
   PDF+HTML (US $50)
In order for VAT to be shown for your country javascript needs to be enabled.

VAT number 
(non-UK EC countries only) 
Country* 
 

Terms and conditions of use
Contact us

Follow J. Appl. Cryst.
Sign up for e-alerts
Follow J. Appl. Cryst. on Twitter
Follow us on facebook
Sign up for RSS feeds