Gamma-crystallin-dodecyl sulfate complexes show discrete precipitation in non-ionic detergents

Gamma-crystallin-sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) complexes are precipitated by Triton X-100 and other non-ionic detergents. This is accomplished as discrete lines by double diffusion, radial diffusion and other immunotechniques. Many other protein-SDS complexes including those of alpha- and beta-crystallins remain soluble. Immunoglobulin G tends to precipitate under similar conditions, a reason why the use of detergents in immunoprecipitation reactions has to be carefully controlled. The phenomenon can be used for the estimation of SDS or non-ionic detergents in the presence of gamma-crystallin.