What Are the Best Practices for 2D Electrophoresis in Research?
When I first began working with 2D electrophoresis, I quickly learned that this powerful technique can either deliver crystal-clear protein maps or turn into a frustrating mess of streaks and smears. Over the years, I’ve refined my approach and adopted a set of best practices that consistently produce high-quality results in research settings. In this article, I’ll walk you through these best practices — step by step — so you can save time, reduce errors, and get reliable data from your own experiments. Start with High-Quality Samples In my experience, the success of 2D electrophoresis starts long before the gel is cast. The quality of your protein sample will directly determine the resolution and accuracy of your results. Here’s what I focus on: Clean extraction: I always use buffers that include chaotropes (like urea) to unfold proteins, detergents to maintain solubility, and protease inhibitors to prevent degradation. Removal of contaminants: Sal...