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Updated: May 3, 2026
Isolation of Primary Rat Hepatocytes with Multiparameter Perfusion Control
Published on: April 5, 2021
Isolation of plasma membrane-associated membranes from rat liver
Jan M Suski1, Magdalena Lebiedzinska1, Aleksandra Wojtala2
11] Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Warsaw, Poland. [2] Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Inflammation (ICSI) and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Abstract:
Dynamic interplay between intracellular organelles requires a particular functional apposition of membrane structures. The organelles involved come into close contact, but do not fuse, thereby giving rise to notable microdomains; these microdomains allow rapid communication between the organelles. Plasma membrane-associated membranes (PAMs), which are microdomains of the plasma membrane (PM) interacting with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, are dynamic structures that mediate transport of proteins, lipids, ions and metabolites. These structures have gained much interest lately owing to their roles in many crucial cellular processes. Here we provide an optimized protocol for the isolation of PAM, PM and ER fractions from rat liver that is based on a series of differential centrifugations, followed by the fractionation of crude PM on a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The procedure requires ∼8-10 h, and it can be easily modified and adapted to other tissues and cell types.
