Lipid rafts are microdomains on plasma membrane that contain high levels of cholesterol and sphingolipids. Because of the detergent-resistant property of lipid rafts, lipid rafts isolated by methods that use detergents frequently yield different results. Artifacts can also be introduced through the use of detergents. These limitations could be overcome with a detergent-free method which eliminates possible artificial influences. Importantly, lipid rafts prepared with a detergent-free method is more compatible to mass spectrometric analysis since the ion suppression effect is largely reduced.This chapter describes a detergent-free two-step method for preparation of lipid rafts. Firstly, a purified plasma membrane fraction is prepared from cells by sedimentation of the postnuclear supernatant (PNS) in a Percoll gradient. Secondly, the as-prepared plasma membranes are sonicated to release lipid rafts which are further isolated by flotation in a continuous gradient of Optiprep solution. Then, we introduce a typical shotgun lipidomics workflow that can be used as a cost-effective and relatively high throughput method to determine the lipidomes of lipid rafts.The method also makes an easy start for lipidomics studies.
Keywords: Detergent-free preparation; Lipid rafts; Mass spectrometry; Plasma membrane; Shotgun lipidomics.