Hit-Gel: Streamlining in-gel protein digestion for high-throughput proteomics experiments

Sci Rep. 2018 Jun 5;8(1):8582. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26639-3.

Abstract

In-gel digestion has been used as a standard method for the preparation of protein samples for mass spectrometry analysis for over 25 years. Traditional in gel-digestion procedures require extensive sample handling, are prone to contamination and not compatible with high-throughput sample preparation. To address these shortcomings, we have modified the conventional in-gel digestion procedure for high-throughput proteomics studies. The modified method, termed "High Throughput in Gel digestion" (HiT-Gel), is based on a 96-well plate format which results in a drastic reduction in labour intensity and sample handling. Direct comparison revealed that HiT-Gel reduces technical variation and significantly decreases sample contamination over the conventional in-gel digestion method. HiT-Gel also produced superior results when a single protein band was excised from a gel and processed by in-gel digestion. Moreover, we applied Hit-Gel for a mass spectrometry analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana protein complexes separated by native PAGE in 24 fractions and four biological replicates. We show that the high throughput capacity of HiT-Gel facilitates large scale studies with high sample replication or detailed fractionation. Our method can easily be implemented as it does not require specialised laboratory equipment.

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / analysis*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional / methods*
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / methods*
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods*
  • Proteomics / methods*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Trypsin / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Trypsin