Separation of Chloroplast Thylakoid Membrane Polypeptides by Electrophoresis on Polyacrylamide Gradient Gels with a Length of 60 cm

H. O skar Schmidt and K arl-Heinz Süss Zentralinstitut für Genetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung der AdW der DDR, 4325 Gatersleben Z. Naturforsch. 40c, 705—709 (1985); received May 29, 1985 Chloroplast, Thylakoid Membrane Proteins, Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide, Coomassie Blue Stain 14C labeled thylakoid membranes of Viciafaba chloroplasts were separated by one-dimensional electrophoresis in gel cuvettes of different length using a 12 — 18% polyacrylamide gradient gel system containing 0.1% sodiumodecylsulfate and 6 m urea. The use of gels with a length of 22 cm and 60 cm led to the detection of about 40 and 80 polypeptide bands, respectively, after dye staining and 50 and more than 100 polypeptide bands, respectively, after autoradiography. The conditions used strongly denaturate chlorophyll proteins and avoid the formation of different polypeptide conformations. Polypeptides differing in were separated in sharp bands.