Isolation of apolipoprotein E-containing lipoproteins by immunoaffinity chromatography

These data suggest that subfractionation of lipoproteins by immunoaffinity chromatography according to apolipoprotein content provides a valuable method for physical isolation of intact lipoprotein subclasses. While this study has focused specifically on apoE-containing lipoproteins, the technique of immunoaffinity isolation clearly has wider application. It must be emphasized that antibodies differ with regard to affinity and avidity, and that both binding and elution conditions may need to be adjusted for each group of antibodies. Maintenance of physical integrity of lipoproteins thus isolated must also be evaluated independently for each antibody. Nevertheless, immunoaffinity isolation of apolipoprotein-specific subclasses offers a powerful tool for preparing lipoproteins which should reflect physical and/or metabolic properties conferred by the apolipoprotein of interest.