The Protein Man's Blog | A Discussion of Protein Research

The BCA assay (bicinchoninic acid assay) developed by Paul K. Smith et al. has become one of the most widely used protein assays since its introduction in 1985. The advantages offered by the assay help to explain the popularity and widespread use over other protein assays. The advantages of the BCA include:

Purified and commercial antibodies are routinely stored in buffers that contain the proteins bovine serum albumin (BSA) and gelatin as these act as stabilizers during long term storage.  The presence of 0.2-1% (2-10mg/ml) BSA and/or gelatin help to stabilize antibody solutions that are less than 1mg/ml during long term storage.  For the majority of immunodetection techniques (ELISA, Western blotting, immunoprecipitation) the presence of the stabilizers do not interfere with these immunodetection techniques and can be used without clean up.  

Bacteria are as interesting as they are diverse. Though tiny, these unicellular life forms make huge contributions to many systems and cycles. From helping break down food in your intestine; to making the molecular assist in all three of the carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen cycles -- these little bacteria can accomplish big things. Unsurprisingly, bacteria are model organisms for research. Not only because of their diversity, but also because they are easily contained and reproduce quickly. When using bacteria for research, it is important to understand and track rates of bacterial growth within a sample. 

Affinity chomatography is a routinely used technique for purifying or enriching a protein or molecule of interest through its specific binding affinity. The target protein adheres to a particular ligand that has been immobilized on a solid support (usually beaded agarose resin). This process produces high selectivity, resolution, and capacity for the protein of interest. Traditionally, affinity chromatography is performed in column format. Where the sample is applied and eluted by gravity flow through a packed resin bed of one to several milliliters. However, gravity flow columns are time consuming and require constant attention while supernatant filters through the column and resin. This process can be accelerated with G-Biosciences’ FastPure™ Spin Columns (Mini and Midi) specifically designed for simple and efficient small scale protein purifications. FastPure™ Spin Columns combine the effectiveness of gel filtration, and the speed of centrifugation for quick and reliable protein purification.