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Analysis of the chloroplast protein complexes by blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE)

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Abstract

Blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) is a powerful procedure for the separation and characterization of the protein complexes from mitochondria. Membrane proteins are solubilized in the presence of aminocaproic acid and n-dodecylmaltoside and Coomassie-dyes are utilized before electrophoresis to introduce a charge shift on proteins. Here, we report a modification of the procedure for the analysis of chloroplast protein complexes. The two photosystems, the light-harvesting complexes, the ATP synthase, the cytochrome b 6 f complex and the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase are well resolved. Analysis of the protein complexes on a second gel dimension under denaturing conditions allows separation of more than 50 different proteins which are part of chloroplast multi-subunit enzymes. The resolution capacity of the blue-native gels is very high if compared to 'native green gel systems' published previously. N-terminal amino acid sequences of single subunits can be directly determined by cyclic Edman degradation as demonstrated for eight proteins. Analysis of chloroplast protein complexes by blue-native gel electrophoresis will allow the generation of 'protein maps' from different species, tissues and developmental stages or from mutant organelles. Further applications of blue-native gel electrophoresis are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Angewandte Genetik, Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany

    Marion Kügler, Lothar Jänsch, Udo K. Schmitz & Hans-Peter Braun

  2. Applied Biosystems GmbH, Brunnenweg 13, 64331, Weiterstadt, Germany

    Volker Kruft

Authors
  1. Marion Kügler
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  2. Lothar Jänsch
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  3. Volker Kruft
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  4. Udo K. Schmitz
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  5. Hans-Peter Braun
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Kügler, M., Jänsch, L., Kruft, V. et al. Analysis of the chloroplast protein complexes by blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE). Photosynthesis Research 53, 35–44 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005882406718

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