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The Nuclear Complex Co-IP Kit simplifies co-immunoprecipitation of nuclear protein complexes by providing high-quality reagents for both nuclear extract preparation and immunoprecipitation. The kit's extraction process maintains protein complexes contained in the nucleus, specifically those previously bound to DNA, while the stringency of the Co-IP reagents can be easily adjusted so you can better study protein/protein interactions of varying strength.
Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) is a powerful method used to study protein/protein interactions. In Co-IP, one antibody is used to immunoprecipitate a target antigen and also co-precipitate any bound interacting proteins within a sample. This complex is then detected by Western blot using a second antibody targeted against one of the bound interacting proteins. However, traditional Co-IP methods are not optimal for studying DNA-binding protein complexes as these complexes are often disrupted during the extraction process. In addition, unstable protein complexes are frequently affected by the salt and detergent composition of the buffers used in the immunoprecipitation process. The Nuclear Complex Co-IP Kit extraction and immunoprecipitation reagents were optimized to help maintain nuclear protein complexes, providing you with the best results possible.
The Nuclear Complex Co-IP method
In the Nuclear Complex Co-IP Kit method, nuclear extracts are prepared by collecting cells in ice-cold PBS with Phosphatase Inhibitors. Then, the cells are resuspended in Hypotonic Buffer to swell the cell membrane and make it fragile. Addition of Detergent causes leakage of the cytoplasmic proteins into the supernatant. After collection of the cytoplasmic fraction, the nuclei are lysed and the nuclear proteins are recovered in a low-salt buffer in the presence of the Protease Inhibitor Cocktail and PMSF. This is followed by the addition of a proprietary Enzymatic Shearing Cocktail. The use of low-salt buffers protects protein complexes in the nucleus; DNA digestion allows a gentle release of undissociated protein complexes from the DNA.
After the protein complexes are collected, an immunoprecipitation reaction is carried out to detect the bound proteins. Two different immunoprecipitation buffers with either a low or high stringency starting composition are provided. In addition, detergent and salt are provided separately to enable you to vary the salt and detergent concentrations. The addition of salt and detergent is ideal for use with robust protein/protein interactions because such conditions reduce background. However, as unstable protein complexes may not withstand high stringencies, the kit format enables stringency to be modified as required by each complex.
Figure 1: Schematic of Co-Immunoprecipitation procedure.
Nuclear Complex Co-IP Kit advantages
- Simple and efficient
- Extraction procedure preserves nuclear protein complexes without disrupting protein/protein interactions
- Flexible immunoprecipitation reagents enable detection of protein/protein interactions of varying strength
- No need for creating fusion constructs or two-hybrid libraries
