Purification and proteomic analysis of chloroplasts and their sub-organellar compartments

Methods Mol Biol. 2008:432:19-36. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-028-7_2.

Abstract

Sub-cellular proteomics has proven to be a powerful approach to link the information contained in sequenced genomes from eukaryotic cells to the functional knowledge provided by studies of cell compartments. Chloroplasts are plant-specific organelles and are the site of photosynthesis and also of many other essential metabolic pathways, like syntheses of amino acids, vitamins, and pigments. They contain several sub-organellar compartments: the envelope (the two-membrane system surrounding the organelle), the stroma (the internal soluble phase), and the thylakoid membranes (the internal membrane system). There is a link between these compartments and the functions of their constitutive proteins. One way to bring into view the sub-proteomes of the chloroplast is to develop proteomic analyses based (1) on the use of highly purified sub-fractions of the chloroplast and (2) on mass spectrometry (MS)-based analyses for protein identification. To illustrate such strategies, this chapter describes the methods for purification of chloroplasts from Arabidopsis leaves and for the specific recovery of highly pure sub-organellar fractions of envelope, stroma, and thylakoids. Subsequently, methods are described to analyze by MS the proteins recovered from these fractions.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Centrifugation, Density Gradient / methods
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods
  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods
  • Golgi Apparatus / chemistry*
  • Golgi Apparatus / ultrastructure*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Indicators and Reagents
  • Liver / ultrastructure
  • Mammals
  • Proteins / chemistry
  • Proteins / isolation & purification*
  • Proteome*
  • Rats
  • Trypsin

Substances

  • Indicators and Reagents
  • Proteins
  • Proteome
  • Trypsin