Use of short monolithic columns for isolation of low abundance membrane proteins.

Convective interaction media (CIM) monoliths provide a stationary phase with a high binding capacity for large molecules and are capable of high flow rates at a very low pressure drop. Used as anion- and cation-exchangers or with affinity ligands such as antibodies, these columns have the potential for processing large volumes of complex biological mixtures within a short time. In the present report, monoclonal antibodies against several rat liver plasma membrane proteins were bound and cross-linked to protein A or protein G CIM affinity columns with a bed volume of only 60 microL. Antigens recognized by bound antibodies and co-eluting (interacting) proteins were rapidly isolated in a single step from either total plasma membrane extracts or subfractions isolated using anion-exchange CIM disk-shaped columns. The isolated antigens and co-eluting proteins were subsequently identified by immunoblot or by LC-MS/MS.