Gel filtration chromatography

• chromatographic technique for the separation of molecules on the

basis of their molecular size and shape
• Exploits the molecular sieve properties of a variety of porous
materials.
• The terms exclusion or permeation chromatography or gel filtration
describe all molecular separation processes using molecular sieves.
Principle:
• Sample pass through a column packed with a swollen gel.
• Separating of molecules occurs according to molecular weight:
• Large molecules (that are larger than the largest pore):
• Smaller molecules (retained )-Smaller molecules penetrate the pores
to different degrees depends on their size molecules are eluted in
order of decreasing size. So, Gel-filtration works opposite to sieve.
 Sephadex-25
• •It is an inert, bead-formed, cross-linked dexran (polymer of
glucose).
Sephadex beads are porous,
Molecules larger than largest pores cannot enter the gel
and are eluted first, Smaller molecules enter the beads and
are retard.
•Sephadex G-25 exclude all molecules with a molecular
weight greater than 5000, thereby eluting them first.
•
 GEL FILTRATION
CHROMATOGRAPHY
Applications of GPC
• Proteins fractionation & Purification
• Molecular weight determination.
• Separation of sugar, proteins, peptides, rubbers and others on the
basis of their size.
• This technique can be use to determine the quaternary structure of
purified proteins
Affinity Chromatography for Enzyme Purification
• Enzymes are purified according to their specificity for a particular substrate or cofactor.
• •Separates protein by their binding specificities.
• The proteins retained on the column are those that bind specifically to a ligand cross-linked
to the gel beads. Proteins that do not binds to ligands are washed through to column
• One component of the mixture containing enzyme binds covalently to the solid support of the
• column, and the other components percolate down through the column.
• •The basic requirements for affinity chromatography - packing gel must have some component
which can bind with one component of the mixture( enzymes).
• Many commercial gels available for affinity chromatography contain functional groups attached
to the 'spacer arms' of the gel.
• •The "spacer arm" is a chemical linkage between the functional group and the gel or matrix
proper, so that the binding between functional group and the enzyme is kept away from the
gel.
• Thus the steric hindrance will be unlikely to prevent binding of the specific enzyme to the
column.
AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY
• In affinity chromatography, a reagent called an affinity ligand is covalently bonded to a solid
support.
• Typical affinity ligands are antibodies, enzyme inhibitors, or other molecules that reversibly and
selectively bind to analyte molecules in the sample.
• When the sample passes through the column, only the molecules that selectively bind to the
affinity ligand are retained.
• Molecules that do not bind pass through the column with the mobile phase. After the undesired
molecules are removed, the retained analytes can be eluted by changing the mobile phase
conditions.
• The stationary phase for affinity chromatography is a solid, such as agarose, or a porous glass bead
to which the affinity ligand is immobilized.
• The mobile phase in affinity chromatography- First, it must support
the
• strong binding of the analyte molecules to the ligand. Second, once the
undesired species are removed, the mobile phase must weaken or
eliminate the analyte-ligand interaction so that the analyte can be
eluted.
• Often, changes in pH or ionic strength are used to change the elution
conditions during the two stages of the process.
• Affinity chromatography has the major advantage of extraordinary
specificity.
• Matrix – agarose, dextran, polystyrene, polyacrylamide .
• Matrix should have a suitable chemical group to bind with the ligand
• stationary phase is first activated by treatment with cyanogen
bromide
• affinity column- matrix, spacer arm and ligands
 ION EXCHANGE CHROMATOGRAPHY
• Separation is based on the charges carried by molecules
• A cellulosic ion exchanger is taken in the column
• •Ion-exchange materials -generally water insoluble polymers containing cationic or anionic groups.
• • In cation exchange chromatography, positively charged molecules are attracted to a negatively charged
solid support.
• Conversely, in anion exchange chromatography, negatively charged molecules are attracted to a positively
charged solid support
• •Anion exchanger -Aminoethyl(AE-), Diethylaminoethyl(DEAE-), Quaternary aminoethyl(QAE-)
• •Cationexchanger -Carboxymethyl(CM-), PhosphoSulphopropyl(SP-)
• Ion-exchange resins are divided into four categories: strong acid cation exchangers; weak acid
cation exchangers; strong base anion exchangers; and weak base anion exchangers.
• Strong acid cation exchangers include a sulfonic acid functional group that retains
• its anionic form, and thus its capacity for ion-exchange, in strongly acidic solutions.
• The functional groups for a weak acid cation exchanger, are fully
• protonated at pH levels less then 4, thereby losing their exchange capacity.
• The strong base anion exchangers are fashioned using a quaternary amine, therefore
retaining a positive charge even in strongly basic solutions.
• Weak base anion exchangers, however, remain protonated only at pH levels that are
moderately basic.
• Under more basic conditions, a weak base anion exchanger loses its positive charge and,
• therefore, its exchange capacity.
 An example
• DEAE exchanger is highly positively charged at pH 6-8 ,
• CM cellulose is highly negatively charged at pH 4-5 , so it can be used for purifying molecules that are positively charged .
• Enzymes possess a net charge in solution, dependent upon the pH and their structure and isoelectric point.
• At high pH proteins bind to a positively charged exchanger –an anion exchange column.
• At low pH proteins bind to a negatively charged exchanger –a cation exchange column.
• Factors affecting elution
• •Positive or negative charge:
• •pH of the medium affects the charge on ionisable R groups.
• •Proteins contain many R groups, & charges (+’and ‘-’).
• •Overall charge on the protein affected by the pH of the medium.
• •When overall charge becomes zero at isoelectric point (pI) protein is eluted.
• •Charge density:
• •Proteins are displaced through competition by molecules with higher charge densities e.g. small inorganinc ions(counterions)
such as Na+ or Cl―.
Steps in IEC