Protein Electrophoresis in Agarose Gels for Separating High Molecular Weight Proteins

Very large proteins (subunit sizes >200 kDa) are difficult to electrophoretically separate on polyacrylamide gels. A SDS vertical agarose gel system has been developed that has vastly improved resolving power for very large proteins. Proteins with molecular masses between 200 and 4,000 kDa can be clearly separated. Inclusion of a reducing agent in the upper reservoir buffer has been found to be a key technical procedure for obtaining optimum resolution.