Interactions, analyte-ligand affinity chromatography

The method of zonal elution is one of the most common techniques used in affinity chromatography to examine biological interactions. An example of this type of experiment is shown in Fig. la. In its usual form, zonal elution involves the application of a small amount of analyte (in the absence or presence of a competing agent) to a column that contains an immobilized ligand. The retention of the analyte in this case wiU depend on how strongly the... 

In affinity chromatography the unique and specific biological interaction of the analyte and ligand is used for the separation (Figure 6-4). The specificity resulting from enzyme-substrate, hormone-receptor, or antigen-antibody interactions has been used in this type of chromatography. 

There are a number of other chromatographic methods that are closely related to traditional affinity chromatography. For instance, affinity chromatography can be adapted as a tool for studying solute-ligand interactions. This application is known as analytical affinity chromatography, quantitative affinity chromatography, or biointeraction... 

The general principles of weak affinity chromatography (WAC) are discussed in this entry. WAC is a subset of affinity chromatography that makes use of weak interactions for the separation or analysis of chemicals. These conditions create a situation in which isocratic elution can be used to pass an analyte through the colurtm. The theory of WAC is discussed and examples are given of ligands that can be used in this technique. Examples of applications that have made use of WAC are also presented. 

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