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Fluorescent Protein Specific Nanotraps to Study Protein–Protein Interactions and Histone-Tail Peptide Binding

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 911))

Abstract

Fluorescent proteins are widely used to study protein localization and protein dynamics in living cells. Additional information on peptide binding, DNA binding, enzymatic activity, and complex formation can be obtained with various methods including chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and affinity purification. Here we describe two specific GFP- and RFP binding proteins based on antibody fragments derived from llama single domain antibodies. The binding proteins can be produced in bacteria and coupled to monovalent matrixes generating so-called Nanotraps. Both Nanotraps allow a fast and efficient (one-step) isolation of fluorescent fusion proteins and their interacting factors for biochemical analyses including mass spectroscopy and enzyme activity measurements. Here we provide protocols for precipitation of fluorescent fusion proteins from crude cell extracts to identify and map protein–protein interactions as well as specific histone tail peptide binding in an easy and reliable manner.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the GO-Bio Program of the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Science, Germany) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 646).

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Correspondence to Ulrich Rothbauer .

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Pichler, G., Leonhardt, H., Rothbauer, U. (2012). Fluorescent Protein Specific Nanotraps to Study Protein–Protein Interactions and Histone-Tail Peptide Binding. In: Saerens, D., Muyldermans, S. (eds) Single Domain Antibodies. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 911. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-968-6_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-968-6_29

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-967-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-968-6

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