Abstract
Detergents or surfactants are widely used in protein chemistry (1–3), principally to solubilize and stabilize proteins and to disaggregate protein complexes. Membrane-bound proteins, in particular, frequently require detergent treatment in order to dissolve. Some surfactants disrupt higher order structure, and others are employed as aids in protein refolding. They are also employed in both gel and capillary electrophoresis, and enhance peptide and protein recoveries from synthetic membranes in electroblotting and in electroelution of proteins from gels. Detergents have the reputation of being completely unsuitable for electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of peptides and proteins; the reality is that some, but not all detergents, are unsuitable, and that in cases where one can be flexible in the choice of surfactant, ESI conditions can sometimes be found that will yield a useful mass spectrum (4–9). It is still wise for mass spectrometrists to avoid detergents whenever possible; they add interfering ions and rarely improve signal-to-noise ratios. On the other hand, it is naive to believe that all biochemical problems can be solved without detergents. We present our studies on detergent effects hoping to provide a useful guide in detergent selection for ESI-MS applications.
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© 1996 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ
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Ogorzalek Loo, R.R., Dales, N., Andrews, P.C. (1996). The Effect of Detergents on Proteins Analyzed by Electrospray Ionization. In: Chapman, J.R. (eds) Protein and Peptide Analysis by Mass Spectrometry. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 61. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-345-7:141
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-345-7:141
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