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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Identification of Small Molecule-binding Proteins in a Native Cellular Environment by Live-cell Photoaffinity Labeling
Published on: September 20, 2016
Identification of rat brain opioid (enkephalin) receptor by photoaffinity labeling
1Playfair Neuroscience Unit, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
A photoreactive, radioactive enkephalin derivative was prepared and purified by high performance liquid chromatography. Rat brain and spinal cord plasma membranes were incubated with this radioiodinated photoprobe and were subsequently photolysed. Autoradiography of the sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of the solubilized and reduced membranes showed that a protein having an apparent molecular weight of 46,000 daltons was specifically labeled, suggesting that this protein may be the opioid (enkephalin) receptor.
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