Proteinexpression and purification 23 May 2004, ExploHeidelberg Teaching lab
Teaching Lab
EMBO Promoting Biosciences in Europe   molecules in medicine an update for the class room   3rd international practical workshop for science teachers   Course is limited to 16 participants   Course fee 20 € (including lunch)   Please arrange additional accomodation yourself !   Registration Contact:   Dr. Thomas Wendt ExploHeidelberg Teaching Lab Tel.: (+49)6221 421404 Fax: (+49)6221 421410 email: [email protected]

Experiment:

The experiment is a full day practical starting at 9:00 and finishing approximately at 17:00. The participants will work in groups of two to get a hands on experience with the biochemical and molecular biological methods.

Proteins determine form and function of the living organism. They are responsible for fundamental processes like nutrient transport, enzyme reactions, formation of the skeleton, mobility of the organism and signal transduction. We will work with a protein, called kinesin, that is involved in the organization of the mitotic spindle and therefore plays a major role in chromosome separation during mitosis. Kinesins belong to the family of molecular motors and walk along microtubules while consuming energy in the form of ATP.

We will start with a bacterial cell culture after the protein expression has been induced. After sedimenting the cells, they will be lysed and the expressed protein will be purified by ion exchange chromatography. The analysis of homogeniety and yield of the purified protein is done by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE).