Isolation of Early and Late Endosomes by Density Gradient Centrifugation

Density gradient centrifugation is a common method for separating intracellular organelles. During centrifugation, organelles float or sediment until they reach their isopycnic position within the gradient. The density of an organelle depends on its content, size, shape, and the lipid:protein ratio. The degree of separation between different organelles will therefore be highly dependent on how different their isopycnic points are in a given buffer. Separation will also depend on the medium used to prepare the gradient, whether it is sucrose (the most common) or an alternative. Here we describe the use of both continuous and discontinuous (step) gradients to isolate endocytic organelles.