Lowry protein assay method

This unit describes four of the most commonly used total protein assay methods. Three of the four are copper-based assays to quantitate total protein the Lowry method (see Basic Protocol 1 and Alternate Protocols 1 and 2), the bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA see Basic Protocol 2 and Alternate Protocols 3 and 4), and the biuret method (see Basic Protocol 3 and Alternate Protocol 5). The fourth is the Coomassie dye binding or Bradford assay (see Basic Protocol 4 and Alternate Protocols 6 and 7), which is included as a simple and sensitive assay, although it sometimes gives a variable response depending on how well or how poorly the protein binds the dye in acidic pH. A protein assay method should be chosen based on the sensitivity and accuracy of method as well as the condition of the sample to be analyzed. 

For greatest accuracy of the estimates of the total protein concentration in unknown samples, it is essential to include a standard curve in each run. This is particularly true for the protein assay methods that produce nonlinear standard curves (e.g., Lowry method, Coomassie dye-binding method). The decision about the number of standards used to define the standard curve and the number of replicates to be done on each standard depends upon the degree of nonlinearity in the standard curve and the degree of accuracy required of the results. In general, fewer points are needed to construct a standard curve if the color response curve is linear. For assays done in test tubes, duplicates are sufficient however, triplicates are recommended for assays performed in microtiter plates due to the increased error associated with microtiter plates and microtiter plate readers. 

Peterson, G.L. 1977. A simplification of the protein assay method of Lowry, et al. Which is more generally applicable Anal. Biochem. 83 346-356. 

In any case, you should not approach papers as if they hold the holy revelation. Even the Lowry Protein Assay has not been examined and optimized in every direction, and a protocol that is optimal for protein 1 may not be so for protein 2. Treat methods circumspectly. Question them (why phosphate buffers, why incubate before with X-ase ). Upon first application it is actually advisable to follow a protocol exactly, but later a playful interaction with the recipe is more usefiil. Also, you should be wary of all assertions regarding advantages, speed, or sensitivity of the tests or methods. On the other hand, warnings about disadvantages should be taken seriously. Researchers write papers not to assist their colleagues but to receive their recognition and to extend their publication list. The tone of the EXPERIMENTER is pointedly unacademic. 

A standard Lowry-based protein assay has been adjusted to the special conditions encountered with skin [126], Basically, proteins reduce an alkaline solution of Cu(II)-tartrate to Cu(I) in a concentration-dependent manner. Then, the formation of a blue complex between Folin-Ciocalteau reagent (a solution of complex polymeric ions formed from phosphomolybdic and phosphotungstic heteropoly acids) and Cu(I) can be measured spectrophotometrically at 750 nm. A calibration curve can be obtained by dissolving known amounts of stratum corneum in 1 M sodium hydroxide. A piece of tape that has not been in contact with skin is subjected to an identical procedure and serves as negative control. The method was recently adapted to a 96-well plate format, notably reducing analysis times [129],... 

If analytical methods are at the heart of biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing, then protein concentration methods are the workhorse assays. A time and motion study of the discovery, development, and manufacture of a protein-based product would probably confirm the most frequently performed assay to be protein concentration. In the 1940s Oliver H. Lowry developed the Lowry method while attempting to detect miniscule amounts of substances in blood. In 1951 his method was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. In 1996 the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) reported that this article had been cited almost a quarter of a million times, making it the most cited research article in history. This statistic reveals the ubiquity of protein measurement assays and the resilience of an assay developed over 60 years ago. The Lowry method remains one of the most popular colorimetric protein assays in biopharmaceutical development, although many alternative assays now exist. 

Review methods for protein assay including absorbance and colorimetric (Lowry, Biuret, Bradford, BCA). 

Toyota et al. (1985) developed a protein assay with use of a tyrosinase sensor. Tyrosine was measured after complete proteolysis of the sample by pepsin. The results agreed well with those obtained by the method of Lowry. 

Protein Assay. Quantitative protein assays were performed by the Lowry method (IV). Protein in column eluates was monitored at 280... 

The Lowry and BCA methods are related, in that the first step of the assay is the reduction of copper ion, Cu to Cu, by protein amides under alkaline conditions. In the Lowry method the reduced copper— and to a lesser extent some protein side chains— react with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (phosphomolybdate/pho-sphotungstate) to produce a blue color. In the BCA assay the BCA complexes with the Cu, which absorbs strongly at 562 nm. Although both the Lowry and BCA methods must be carefully timed and are subject to interference from buffer components, the BCA method is less susceptible to interference, especially by detergents. 

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity ALP activity of the supematarrt was meastrred using an ALP B-Test WAKO kit (Wako, Japan) based on the Bessey-Lowry method. ALP activity was normalized by samples total protein production measured with a Bicinchoninic Acid Assay (BCA, BCA Protein Assay KiL Pierce Biotechnology, U.S. A.). 

Experiments in 500 ml Erlenmeyer flasks and Fernbach flasks contained 200 ml and 1 L of EPl and EP2 medium respectively. Inocuia added to these cultures was 2 ml of spore suspension (5.0 optical density at 540 nm) for each 100 ml EP medium. All cultures were grown at 37°C in a shaking incubator (New Brunswik Sci. Co., USA), at 200 rpm. Then 10 ml of sample were withdrawn each 24 h during fermentation and immediately filtered through Millipore membranes of 0.45 pm pore size these cell-free filtrates were used for enzymatic assays and extracellular protein determinations by the Lowry method (14). Experiments in the 14 L fermentor (Microgen Fermentor New Brunswik Sci. Co., USA) were carried with lOL of fermentation medium EP2 and inoculum added was IL of mycelium grown 24 h in... 

For activity assays, proteinase solutions were made fresh daily (10 mg freeze-dried solids in 1 ml pH 10.0 phosphate buffer, 0.1 M). Two ml of the proteinase, 0.5 ml of substrate (azocasein or other proteins in pH 10 buffer), 0.3 ml of 0.1% EDTA, and deionized water were made up to a volume of 3.5 ml. Reaction tubes were incubated in a 40°C water bath for 1 hr, then the reaction was stopped by addition of 1 ml 5% TCA. After removal of the precipitated proteins by centrifugation, absorbance was read at 366 nm (for azocasein) or by the Lowry method (15) for other... 

In this method the keyhole limpet haemoglobin conjugate was prepared as follows Keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH, Calbiochem, La Jolia, CA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA, BDH Chemicals) were coupled to the adduct (2), derived from 6-bromohexanoic acid and monoquat (3), via a carbodiimide reaction, as reported previously by Niewola et al. [184], The resulting conjugates contained 662mol of Paraquat per mole of KLH and 15mol of Paraquat per mole of 6-bromohexanoic acid. The amount of Paraquat bound to the protein was determined by spectrophotometric dithionite assay for Paraquat and the protein concentration was established by a standard Lowry test. 

It is said to suffer from less interference effects than the Lowry method and is capable of detecting protein levels as low as 10 /xg. The presence of lipids does interfere with the assay and modification of the technique is required if detergents are present. The reagent is only stable for a short time but if the copper sulphate is only added prior to use the stock reagents keep indefinitely. 

Epoxide hydratase activity, with JH-benzo(a)pyrene 4,5-oxide as substrate, was assayed by the thin-layer chromatographic procedure of Jerina et al. (15). The protein content of microsomal and whole homogenate preparations was determined according to Lowry et al. (16), using bovine serum albumin as the standard, and microsomal cytochrome P-450 content was assayed by the method of Omura and Sato (17) on an Aminco DW-2A spectrophotometer. 

Purity was confirmed by gel-filtration using a HPLC column packed with Asahipak GS-520HQ and elution with 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer containing 300 mM sodium chloride (pH 6.7). The content of total protein, total sugars, uronic acids, sulfates, nucleic acids, phosphate or fatty acids was assayed by the BCA [32] and Lowry method [33], the phenol-sulfuric acid method [34], the Blumenkrantz method [35], nephelometry [36], absorption at 260 nm, the Bartlett method [37] and the GLC method after methyl-esterification [38], respectively. 

Protein determination by the Kjeldahl method is slow and very few samples can be run at one time. The Lowry and many other protein tests are much more convenient. A Lowry assay on a test tube rack of 40 samples can be done in <2 hr. 

The assays for the enzyme synthesis of sulfogalactosyl-glycerolipid, sulfatides and galactocerebrosides were carried out as previously described respectively by Subba Rao, et al. (28) Sarlieve, et al. 05, 29), and Neskovic, et al. (30). The assay for 2, 3 cyclic nucleotide phosphohydrolase was performed according to the method of Prohaska, et al. (31). EL coli. alkaline phosphatase type III-S, 2, 3 -cAMP, and sodium deoxycholate were obtained from Sigma (St. Louis, Mo.). Protein was determined by the method of Lowry, et al. (32) with crystalline bovine serum albumin as the standard. 

Xylanase was assayed using birchwood xylan as substrate. The solution of xylan and the enzyme at appropriated dilution were incubated at 75°C for 3 min, and the reducing sugar was determined by the dinitrosali-cylic acid procedure (12) with xylose as standard. The released color development was measured spectrophotometrically at 540 nm. One unit of enzyme activity was defined as 1 pmol of reducing sugar released 1 min under the described assay conditions. Protein concentration was measured by the Lowry method (13) using bovine serum albumin as standard. 

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