Purity is a measurement used to describe a wide variety of things from jewelry, to drinking water. Purity is also involved in biochemistry, specifically when studying the behavior of biological mechanisms. The mechanism of interest for the Dabney-Smith lab is the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway that moves proteins around the cell. To effectively study this mechanism, pure proteins are needed, but they have been resistant to traditional purification methods. The specific proteins involved in the Tat system are largely hydrophobic which makes the traditional water-based purification methods ineffective. It was the goal of this project to determine a new method of purifying proteins. One prospective method was using a 1:1 chloroform:ethanol solvent to purify the proteins. Although the experiment was not completed, the method was looking to be promising. Because no conclusions about the process can be made just yet, the methods are the focus of the presentation. Once purification has been successfully completed, it will be integrated into research on the Tat system which will possibly lead to more definitive conclusions.
Authors: Anthony Petulla and Sarah Ruthiririza
Faculty Advisor: Carole Dabney-Smith, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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