Quality assessment and optimization of purified protein samples: why and how?

Bertrand Raynal (1) , Pascal Lenormand (1) , Bruno Baron (1) , Sylviane Hoos (1) , Patrick England (1)

1 Biophysique des macromolécules et leurs interactions

Purified protein quality control is the final and critical check-point of any protein production process. Unfortunately, it is too often overlooked and performed hastily, resulting in irreproducible and misleading observations in downstream applications. In this review, we aim at proposing a simple-to-follow workflow based on an ensemble of widely available physico-chemical technologies, to assess sequentially the essential properties of any protein sample: purity and integrity, homogeneity and activity. Approaches are then suggested to optimize the homogeneity, time-stability and storage conditions of purified protein preparations, as well as methods to rapidly evaluate their reproducibility and lot-to-lot consistency.

Mots clés: Electrophoresis; Mass spectrometry; UV/visible spectroscopy; Structural biology; Light scattering; Size-exclusion chromatography; Surface plasmon resonance; Formulation; Comparability; Diagnosis; Recombinant protein; Therapeutic

Domaines: Biochimie [q-bio.BM]

Bertrand Raynal, Pascal Lenormand, Bruno Baron, Sylviane Hoos, Patrick England. Quality assessment and optimization of purified protein samples: why and how?. Microbial Cell Factories, 2014, 13, pp.180. ⟨10.1186/s12934-014-0180-6⟩. ⟨pasteur-01108005⟩