Improved methodology for analysis and quantitation of proteins on one-dimensional silver-stained slab gels

A sodium dodecyl sulfate-discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system for separation and quantitation of low-molecular-weight (75 to 10K Da) proteins from single muscle fibers is described. Slab gels (0.75 mm thick) were stained using an improved silver-stain technique which does not require photographic fixers in order to achieve low-level background staining. The modified staining procedure uses continuous flow washing to minimize the handling of gels. The procedure has high sensitivity and gave a linear response between approximately 2 and 70 ng of protein per band. In addition, a convenient method for mounting slab gels for photography, scanning, and long-term storage has been developed.