Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 3, 2026

Rapid Assessment of Membrane Protein Quality by Fluorescent Size Exclusion Chromatography
Published on: January 6, 2023
Size Exclusion Chromatography with Multi-Angle Light Scattering for Detergent-Solubilized Integral Membrane Proteins
Tobias Mühlethaler1, Timothy Sharpe2
1Biophysics Facility, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Size-exclusion chromatography coupled to multi-angle static light scattering measures the shape-independent molar mass of macromolecules after chromatographic separation of different-sized species in a mixture. The use of a light-scattering detector together with two detectors that measure concentration by different methods allows the molar mass of detergent-solubilized integral membrane proteins to be analyzed in detail. The method determines the total molar mass of the protein-detergent complex, the molar mass of the protein component, and the molar mass of the detergent micelle. This information allows a user to assess the oligomeric state and polydispersity of the detergent-solubilized integral membrane protein before use in structural biology or functional studies.
Related Concept Videos
Size-Exclusion Chromatography
Silica particles offer advantages such as rigidity,...
Detergent Purification of Membrane Proteins
Capillary Electrophoresis: Applications
Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separates ionic components based on their electrophoretic mobility. It has been used to separate proteins, amino acids,...
SDS-PAGE
A variation of gel electrophoresis, termed polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), is commonly used for separating proteins according to their molecular size by passing them through a polyacrylamide gel. Because of the varying charges associated with amino acid side chains, PAGE can be used to separate intact proteins...

