Zooming in on Proteins

Courtesy of Invitrogen

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) has come under fire for its lack of reproducibility, low throughput, and exclusion of low-abundance proteins. Carlsbad, Calif.-based Invitrogen recently developed a workaround with its ZOOM™ IEF Fractionator System to enhance low-abundance protein detection.

Designed to fractionate samples by isoelectric point prior to 2-DE, 1-DE, or 2-D liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, the fractionator device employs precast, buffered polyacrylamide gels, or "disks." Once the fractionator resolves the samples into five equal fractions ranging from pH 3 to pH 10, the fractions can be applied onto immobilized pH gradient strips for further analysis.

Sample preparation is the linchpin of successful biomarker discovery, says Kumar Bala, Invitrogen's market development manager. "Other [traditional] methods tend to dilute the sample and require additional sample cleanup," he says. "To borrow the computer phrase, 'garbage in, garbage out.'"

The precast form of the disks sets the ZOOM system apart from similar...