Using SEC-MALS in Protein Characterization and Structural Studies in the Biocenter Oulu Structural Biology Core Facility
Presented by: Kristian Koski, Ph.D., Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu
Presented Live: March 22, 2022
The sample quality is an important factor in the determination of the three-dimensional high-resolution structure of a protein molecule. In this presentation, it is shown how the protein chemists in the Biocenter Oulu (BCO) and Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu (FBMM) use the multi-angle light scattering technique coupled with size-exclusion chromatography (SEC-MALS) to optimize the protein sample for the structural studies (X-ray crystallography, SAXS, cryo-EM). With the SEC-MALS technique, also the absolute molecular weight of the protein molecule can be calculated, which helps the researcher to determine the oligomeric state of the studied protein in solution. Furthermore, with help of the SEC-MALS conjugate analysis, it is also possible to study for example the glycosylation levels of protein, and the stoichiometry of protein-nucleic acid complexes.