Dynal Biotech, a subsidiary of
Invitrogen Corporation announced the release of the first two products in its new proteomic preparation range - weak cation exchange (WCX) Dynabeads(r) and reversed phase
chromatography (RPC) Dynabeads(r). These novel beads are an excellent alternative to
chromatography columns, spin columns and pipette
sample preparation technologies. They can fractionate mixed protein samples quickly and easily for downstream analysis such as mass
spectrometry.
These superparamagnetic beads can be used to concentrate, prepare and desalt complex protein mixtures. The Dynabeads methodology is not only far quicker and easier to perform, but is also incredibly flexible and can be automated on any device. Dynabeads(r) WCX and Dynabeads(r) RPC
Protein are designed for the fractionation of intricate mixtures of protein (e.g. serum,
plasma, urine or cell lysates) based on different parameters: Dynabeads(r) WCX carry surface charges which reversibly adsorb oppositely charged
proteins and large
peptides. Dynabeads RPC Protein have a coating with optimised hydrophobic and hydrophilic components for peptide/protein binding.
The Dynabeads act as a controllable solid phase support, and respond to a magnetic field allowing bound material to be rapidly and precisely separated from
salts and other
contaminants. Fractions are then released via controlled step-wise elutions. For Dynabeads WCX this is achieved using increasing concentrations of salt or by changing the pH. Dynabeads RPC Protein use hydrophobic interactions and therefore increasing the concentration of
Acetonitrile will release protein fractions. Since the beads use different properties the two can be used to isolate different fractions from the same sample. This means that they provide a powerful and adaptable preparation protocol for downstream mass spectrum analysis, HPLC and 1D/2D
gel electrophoresis.
All Dynal Biotech Dynabeads are highly engineered to provide uniform spheres with even magnetic properties and maximum surface area. They remain dispersed in
solution but very quickly move in response to a magnetic field, with no magnetic remanence. The beads have been designed to accommodate many different surface chemistries and have been developed in a number of different sizes to suit different genomic, proteomic and in vitro diagnostic applications.