Simple and rapid method for disruption of bacteria for protein studies

A simple and rapid method was developed for the extraction of proteins from both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria. The method involves the treatment of cells with acetone followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate extraction of cellular proteins. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the protein composition of extracts made by this method was comparable to that of extracts made by established methods, namely, sonication and agitation with beads. This technique has been successfully applied to the extraction of proteins from a wide variety of bacteria, including pathogens.