EDTA as denaturating agent ?? - for proteins.. (Jul/06/2009 )

hi

how effective is EDTA as denaturing agent for proteins???

if you have a metallo-protein then it may denature the protein by removing the metal.

otherwise, i have never heard of its use in the denaturing of protein.

It is frequently used in protein storage buffers...

Other than some specialized proteins that require coordination with various metal ions to retain their state (as mdfenko points out), I wouldn't consider EDTA a denaturing agent.

thanks HomeBrew and mdfenko for the reply...

i also had similar opinion its just that one of my colleague had such a strong view on this...that i felt i must conform it...

ok..lets just trun the question little around

what makes 'Urea' and 'GuHCL (Guanidine Hydrochloride)' such a good denaturing agents for proteins??

this comes from wikipedia:

urea breaks non-covalent bonds.

guanidinium chloride is a powerful protein denaturant. wiki references a book from 1978:

Lapange, Savo (1978). Physicochemical aspects of protein denaturation. New York: Wiley. ISBN 0471034096.

you can also get information on protein denaturation in the handbook of chemistry and physics.

It inactivates enzymes that need bivalent metal ions as coenzymes. But this is not a denaturation....