Classification

Detergents

Introduction

The phospholipid bilayer is the basic structure of the cell membrane. The most important functions of cells include transportation of substances, energy exchange, and transmission of information. These functions are conducted at the cell membrane by membrane proteins.

In membrane biochemistry research, membrane proteins are solubilized and purified to study their structure and function. Proteins bound to cell membranes have hydrophobic sites buried within the phospholipid bilayers and hydrophilic sites facing toward the water layer. Detergents are used to isolate large insoluble molecules such as proteins.Detergents interact with the hydrophobic sites of proteins, which are then solubilized in the water layer, thus separating membrane proteins. It is important to choose a detergent that does not disrupt the bioactivities of target proteins. A detergent requires the following characteristics to be suitable for isolation of membrane proteins:

Sufficient protein solubilization capability
No denaturing or inactivation of proteins
No interference with protein activities
No precipitation at 4°C
Appropriate critical micelle concentrations (CMC) and micelle size
No absorption in the UV region
No toxicity
Availability of detergent detection methods
Non-ionic detergent if ion exchange chromatography is used

In the past, polyoxyethylene ether non-ionic detergents were widely used. These detergents, however, had several problems, such as denaturation of proteins and low CMC value, which cannot be separated easily by dialysis. n-Octyl- β-D-glucoside, n-Octyl-β-D-thioglucoside, CHAPS, and CHAPSO eliminate these problems and are widely used today. Most of the current detergents are non-ionic and easily applied to ion exchange chromatography purification. deoxy-BIGCHAP is a non-ionic detergent possessing deoxycholic acid and a gluconamide polar group. It has a high CMC value of 1.4 mmol/l and can be easily separated by dialysis. Because its UV absorbance is low, it can be used for the determination of proteins. deoxy-BIGCHAP has been used for the extraction of opioid receptors from neuroblastoma or hybrid cells of glyoma. It has also been applied to adenylate cyclase or acetyltransferase. These detergents are also widely used to solubilize chromophores or to stabilize enzymes in diagnostic analyses and biochemical assays.

Trials of various kinds of detergents are needed to find the appropriate detergent for each study. Dojindo’s Detergent Screening Sets, which contain assorted packages of detergents, are available for use in these trials.

 

Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC)

Detergents are amphipathic compounds, with both lipophobic and lipophilic sites, that will form micelles above a critical concentration, CMC, that is specific to each detergent. The solubilizing abilities of detergents increase dramatically above their CMC values. After they extract membrane proteins, detergents can be easily removed by dilution and then dialysis.

Table 1 Molecular weight and critical micelle concentration of detergents
Detergent MW CMC
CHAPS 614.88 8 mmol/l
CHAPSO 630.88 8 mmol/l
BIGCHAP 878.06 2.9 mmol/l
Deoxy BIGCHAP 862.06 1.4 mmol/l
Octylglucoside 292.37 25 mmol/l
Heptylthioglucoside 294.41 30 mmol/l
Octylthioglucoside 308.44 9 mmol/l
Decylmaltoside 482.57 1.8 mmol/l
Dodecylmaltoside 510.62 0.17 mmol/l
Nonylthiomaltoside 484.60 2.4 mmol/l
MEGA-8 321.41
MEGA-9 335.44 25 mmol/l
MEGA-10 349.46 7 mmol/l
Sodium cholate 448.57 14 mmol/l

Product

Detergents
Code Product name Unit size
B043 Detergent
BIGCHAP
1 g
5 g
C008 Detergent
CHAPS
1 g
5 g
25 g
C020 Detergent
CHAPSO
1 g
5 g
C321 Detergent
Sodium cholate (purified)
5 g
25 g
D045 Detergent
deoxy-BIGCHAP
500 mg
D316 Detergent
n-Dodecyl-β-D-maltoside
1 g
5 g
D382 Detergent
n-Decyl-β-D-maltoside
1 g
5 g
D520 Detergent
Sodium deoxycholate (for protein crystallization)
1 g
H015 Detergent
n-Heptyl-β-D-thioglucoside
1 g
5 g
M014 Detergent
MEGA-8
1 g
5 g
M015 Detergent
MEGA-9
1 g
5 g
M016 Detergent
MEGA-10
1 g
5 g
N373 Detergent
n-Nonyl-β-D-thiomaltoside
1 g
O001 Detergent
n-Octyl-β-D-glucoside
1 g
5 g
O003 Detergent
n-Octyl-β-D-thioglucoside
1 g
5 g
O393 Detergent
n-Octyl-β-D-maltoside
500 mg
O401 Detergent
3-Oxatridecyl-α-D-mannoside
500 mg
T461 Detergent
Trehalose C12
500 mg
T464 Detergent
Trehalose C14
500 mg
Sets
Code Product name Unit size
DS06 Detergent
Detergent Screening Set (first choice-II)
1 set

Product Classification

Product Classification