Question

A protein with molecular weight of 100,000 shows a single boundary when centrifuged in aqueous buffer. If the protein is centrifuged in a medium of the same buffer plus 6 M urea, two boundaries are ob­served, one corresponding to a molecular weight of 10,000, the other 30,000. The area of the slower peak is two-thirds that of the faster. De­scribe the subunit structure of the protein.

Answer 1

Answer:

In this problem, we are asked to explain the subunit structure of a protein from the following centrifugations:

Protein with molecular weight of 100,000:

• Single boundary after centrifugation in an aqueous buffer.
• Two boundaries after centrifugation in 6M urea buffer, one at 10,000 and 30,000
• Area of the 30,000 peak is two-thirds that of the 10,000 peak