2D SDS PAGE in Combination with Western Blotting and Mass Spectrometry Is a Robust Method for Protein Analysis with Many Applications.

Two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D SDS PAGE) is a method that separates proteins according to their isoelectric points in the first dimension and molecular masses in the second dimension. Evidence is provided that 2D SDS PAGE is reproducible, robust and compatible with SDS in both dimensions including isoelectric focusing in tube gels, the first dimension. The 2D gel pattern of rat liver microsomes shows more detail and sharper spot outlines when dissolved in SDS buffer with heating than in urea buffer and is better yet when dissolved in a mixture of both buffers. Quantification of 60 proteins in rat liver cytosol over a wide range of pI and MW gave linear plots of spot density versus total protein for loads of 200, 400 and 600 mu g protein dissolved in SDS buffer and run in triplicate on 2D gels (Average R-2 = 0.987). Examples of biomedical applications are provided in which 2D proteins of interest found by comparing stained or western blotted 2D gel patterns were identified by mass spectrometry (MS).