Effects of freezing and protein cross-linker on isolating membrane raft-associated proteins

Biotechniques. 2010 Nov;49(5):837-8. doi: 10.2144/000113541.

Abstract

Since the discovery of cellular membrane rafts, the defining of these domains has remained ambiguous due to a great number of isolation procedures proposed for the extraction of the rafts from cells. Characterization of membrane rafts using Triton X-100 insolubility is limited by the fact that weak interactions between proteins and lipids within the membrane rafts cannot be detected. In order to study the role of membrane rafts in cell signal transduction, it is crucial that weak membrane raft-associated proteins are detected. In this report, we demonstrate that by incorporating 3,3'-dithiobis(sulfosuccinimidyl propionate) (DTSSP) crosslinking and freezing at -80°C into the membrane raft isolation procedure of HaCaT cells, both membrane raft-associated proteins caveolin-1 and Fas receptor are able to be reproducibly isolated into a single fraction containing the membrane rafts of the cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Caveolin 1 / isolation & purification*
  • Cell Fractionation / methods
  • Cell Line
  • Centrifugation, Density Gradient
  • Cross-Linking Reagents*
  • Freezing*
  • Membrane Microdomains / chemistry*
  • Succinimides
  • fas Receptor / isolation & purification*

Substances

  • Caveolin 1
  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • Succinimides
  • fas Receptor
  • 3,3'-dithiobis(sulfosuccinimidyl propionate)