ReadyPrep
™
2-D Starter Kit
Instruction Manual
Catalog Number
163-2105
For technical service
call your local Bio-Rad office or
in the U.S. call 1-800-4BIORAD
(1-800-424-6723)
On the Web at http://www.discover.bio-rad.com
Table of Contents
Section 1 Introduction ......................................................................1
Section 2 Kit Components............................................................1-2
Section 3 Storage ............................................................................2
Section 4 Instructions for Use ..........................................................3
Section 5 Appendix........................................................................22
Section 6 Product Information........................................................25
Section 1
Introduction
The ReadyPrep™2-D starter kit was designed as a single-use kit to familiarize first-time users with
the utilization of the Bio-Rad PROTEAN
®
IEF cell and ReadyStrip™IPG strips. The kit provides all
the reagents necessary, including a protein control, to successfully perform two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE). The kit contains sufficient reagents to perform 2-D
PAGE of at least 6 samples with any of the three SDS-PAGE formats Bio-Rad offers. The amount
of sample applied to each gel is sufficient so that a large number of protein spots can be readily
detected when using either Bio-Safe
™
Coomassie* stain or Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 stain.
This manual provides instructions on how to perform 2-D PAGE with ReadyStrip IPG strips using
the Bio-Rad PROTEAN IEF cell and the control E. coli protein sample.
Section 2
Kit Components
ReadyPrep E. coli Protein Sample. One vial. Lyophilized. Each vial of reconstituted
ReadyPrep E. coli protein sample contains 2.7 mg of total protein at a concentration of 1.35
mg/ml.
ReadyPrep Rehydration/Sample Buffer. One vial. Lyophilized. Each vial of reconstituted
ReadyPrep rehydration buffer contains 10 ml of 8 M urea, 2% CHAPS, 50 mM dithiothreitol (DTT),
0.2% (w/v) Bio-Lyte
®
3/10 ampholytes, and Bromophenol Blue (trace).
Nanopure Water. One bottle containing 15 ml of sterile nanopure water.
Equilibration Buffer I. Two vials, each containing a stirbar. Lyophilized. Each vial of reconstitut-
ed equilibration buffer I contains 20 ml of 6 M urea, 2% SDS, 0.375 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.8), 20%
glycerol, and 2% (w/v) DTT.
Equilibration Buffer II. Two vials, each containing a stirbar. Lyophilized. Each vial of reconstituted equilibration buffer II contains 20 ml of 6 M urea, 2% SDS, 0.375 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.8), and
20% glycerol.
30% Glycerol Solution. One bottle containing 70 ml of sterile 30% (v/v) glycerol.
Iodoacetamide. Two vials. Each vial contains 0.5 gr of an ultrapure grade of iodoacetamide.
*Coomassie is a trademark of Imperial Chemical Industries PLC.
1
Overlay Agarose. One bottle containing 50 ml of 0.5% low melting point agarose in 25 mM
Tris, 192 mM glycine, 0.1% SDS, and a trace of Bromophenol Blue.
Instruction Manual. One.
Note:
CHAPS is 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate, a
zwitterionic detergent.
Bio-Lyte
®
3/10 ampholytes is a mixture of carrier ampholytes, pH 3–pH 10.
Other Materials Needed
• PROTEAN IEF cell
• ReadyStrip IPG strips, pH 4-7 (7 cm, 11 cm, or 17 cm)
• IEF focusing tray with lid (same size as IPG strips)
• Electrode wicks, precut
• Blotting filter papers
• Mineral oil
• Forceps
• Pipets for volumes ranging from 4-1000 µl
• Stirplate
• Plastic (Saran) wrap
• 8-16% SDS-PAGE gels (Ready Gel
®
, Criterion, or PROTEAN II Ready Gel precast gels
• SDS-PAGE electrophoresis cell (Mini-PROTEAN
®
3, Ready Gel, Criterion, or PROTEAN II XL cell)
• Power supply appropriate for SDS-PAGE system
• Tris/glycine/SDS running buffer
• SDS-PAGE protein stain (Bio-Safe Coomassie or Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250)
• IEF protein stain (IEF stain or Bio-Safe Coomassie)
• Destain solution (40% methanol, 10% acetic acid)
• Disposable rehydration/equilibration trays with lid (same size as IPG strips)
• SDS-PAGE gel staining trays
• 100 ml graduated cylinders
• High-purity water
Section 3
Storage
Store the entire kit at 4ºC.
2
Section 4
Instructions for Use
Introduction
This 2-D starter kit allows you to successfully separate a complex protein extract by 2-D PAGE
using IPG strips and the Bio-Rad PROTEAN IEF cell. The buffer formulations as well as the
following protocol have been optimized for the E. coli protein sample included in the kit. Before
beginning, decide which length IPG strips you wish to use and how many you wish to focus. The
kit contains sufficient reagents for the separation of the E. coli protein sample on six 17 cm IPGs,
ten 11 cm IPGs or sixteen 7 cm IPGs. The user has the flexibility to choose among three SDSPAGE formats (7 cm IPG strips and Mini-PROTEAN
®
3 Ready Gel precast gels, 11 cm IPG strips
and Criterion
™
gels or 17 cm IPG strips and PROTEAN®II Ready Gel® precast gels). The mini and
Criterion formats have the advantage that the entire 2-D electrophoresis process can be completed within a 24 hour period. The flow chart in Figure 1 can be used to estimate the amount of time
necessary to complete each of the steps of the 2-D process.
The instructions below describe the use of the E. coli protein sample with six IPG strips. Two of
these strips will be stained after the first dimension to illustrate the successful completion of the
IEF step. The remaining IPGs will be carried through the second-dimension separation. The SDSPAGE gels can be stained with either Bio-Rad’s Bio-Safe Coomassie stain or with Coomassie
Brilliant Blue R-250 stain.
3
The ReadyPrep 2-D starter kit has been optimized for pH 4-7 ReadyStrip IPG strips and either
Bio-Safe Coomassie or Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 stain. Strips of pH 5-8 can be used but
the results will not match the enclosed gel images. Strips of pH 3-10 are not recommended
unless the protein sample is further diluted into rehydration/sample buffer at least 4-fold. Other
stains can also be used, but again the protein sample needs to be diluted if a more sensitive
stain is used.
4
Rehydration Setup
30 min
Rehydration Setup
30 min
IPG Rehydration
12 hours
IPG Rehydration
12 hours
IPG Rehydration
12 hours
Isoelectric Focusing
5 hours
Isoelectric Focusing
5.3 hours
Isoelectric Focusing
7 hours
IEF stain Subset of
IPGs (Optional)
60 min
IEF stain Subset of
IPGs (Optional)
60 min
IPG Equilibration
for SDS-PAGE
30 min
IPG Equilibration
for SDS-PAGE
30 min
Store IPGs at
-70°C
Mounting IPGs
30 min
Mounting IPGs
30 min
SDS-PAGE
40 min
Destain IPG Strips
60+ min
SDS-PAGE
65 min
Bio-Safe stain
Water Wash
20 min
Rehydration Setup
30 min
Staining
60 min
Staining
60 min
Mounting IPGs
30 min
SDS-PAGE
5.5 hours
Equilibration
30 min
Destain IPG Strips
60+ min
Bio-Safe stain
Water Wash
20 min
Destaining
30-120 min
Destaining
30-120 min
Staining
60 min
Bio-Safe stain
Water Wash
20 min
Destaining
30-120 min
7 cm 11 cm 17 cm
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Fig. 1. Flow Chart for 2-D SDS-PAGE.
4.1 Sample Preparation
1 Remove the bottle of rehydration/sample buffer, the bottle of nanopure water and the vial
of E. coli protein sample from the kit. All 3 bottles have a GREEN cap.
2 Remove the desired number of pH 4-7 ReadyStrip IPG strips from the -20ºC freezer and
set aside. (Six strips are recommended: 2 to stain after IEF, 4 to be used for seconddimension SDS-PAGE).
3 Place one disposable rehydration/equilibration tray of the same size as the IPG strips to
be run onto the bench with the sloped end facing to the right (See Figure 2).
4 Remove the crimp and stopper from the bottle of rehydration/sample buffer and reconsti-
tute the lyophilized powder by adding 6.1 ml of the nanopure water supplied with the kit.
Swirl the bottle gently at intervals until all the solids are completely dissolved. The bottle will
chill as the urea in the solids dissolves. The bottle can be warmed slightly in the palm of the
hand to expedite this buffer reconstitution process. Take care not to warm the solution above
30ºC.
5 Open the vial of E. coli protein sample and reconstitute the lyophilized protein by adding
2 ml of the freshly prepared rehydration/sample buffer. Replace the rubber stopper and
gently invert the vial 4 to 6 times to completely reconstitute the E. coli proteins. Do NOT place
the vial on ice as the urea will crystallize out of the solution.
4.2 Sample Application During Rehydration
The amount of reconstituted E. coli protein sample to load per IPG strip is indicated in
Table 1. These quantities are sufficient to easily visualize a large array of protein spots
when the second-dimension SDS-PAGE gel is stained with Bio-Safe Coomassie stain or
Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 stain.
1. Using Table 1 below, pipet the indicated volume of the reconstituted E. coli protein sample
as a line along the back edge of channel #1. The line of sample should extend along the
whole length of the channel except for about 1 cm at each end. Take care not to introduce any bubbles which may interfere with the even distribution of sample in the strip
(See Figure 2. Sample loading of rehydration/equilibration trays).
Strip Length 7 cm 11 cm 17 cm
Sample Volume 125 µl 185 µl 300 µl
Protein Loaded 169 µg 250 µg 405 µg
Table 1.
The increased sensitivity of the Bio-Safe Coomassie stain over the R-250 stain allows you to
dilute the stock of E. coli protein sample up to 4-fold into rehydration/sample buffer and still
achieve excellent images. If you choose to stain the SDS-PAGE gels with silver stain (such as
Bio-Rad’s Silver Stain Plus stain, catalog # 161-0449) or a fluorescent stain (such as
SYPRO* Ruby Stain, catalog # 170-3125) use a 4-fold diluted E. coli protein sample (diluted into
rehydration/sample buffer) and the rehydration volumes per strip indicated below.
*SYPRO is a trademark of Molecular Probes, Inc.
5
2. Repeat this process for the remaining samples by pipetting the indicated volume of
sample into adjacent channels. It is best to place samples on both sides of the tray as in
Figure 2. Maintaining the same numbering system throughout the 2-D PAGE process
helps to avoid confusing the samples. Also, during the IEF step when strips are placed on
both sides of the focusing tray, the weight of the tray lid is evenly distributed over all the
samples so contact between the IPGs and the electrode remains uniform.
3. When all the protein samples have been loaded into the rehydration/equilibration tray as
pictured in Figure 2, using forceps, peel the coversheet from one of the pH 4-7
ReadyStrip IPG strips, as in Figure 3.
6
Fig. 2. Sample loading of rehydration/equilibration trays. Pipet the sample along the back edge of
the tray channel except for about 1 cm at each end. Note the even distribution of the sample along the edge
of the channel. The figure shows the last of six samples being pipeted in the tray.
Fig. 3. Removing the cover sheet from the ReadyStrip IPG strip.
Gently place the strip gel side down onto the sample as illustrated in Figure 4. The “+”
and “pH 4-7” should be legible and positioned at the left side of the tray. Take care not to
get the sample onto the plastic backing of the strips as this portion of the sample will not
be absorbed by the gel material. Also take care not to trap air bubbles beneath the strip.
If this happens, carefully use the forceps to lift the strip up and down from one end until
the air bubbles move to the end and out from under the strip.
7
Fig. 4. Placing IPG strips gel side down onto the protein samples.
Rehydration of the IPG strips is a critical
step in the 2-D process. The method
shown in Figures 2-4 allows for consis-
tently even distribution of the sample
along the length of the strip. If the sample
appears unevenly distributed or areas of
the strip were not wetted with sample,
hold the strip at one end with the forceps
and slide the strip back and forth several
times along the length of the channel.
4 Overlay each of the strips with 2 to 3
ml of mineral oil to prevent evaporation
during the rehydration process. Add
the mineral oil slowly, by carefully dripping the oil onto the plastic backing of
the strips while moving the pipet along
the length of the strip.
5 Cover the rehydration/equilibration tray
with the plastic lid provided and leave
the tray sitting on a level bench
overnight (11-16 hr) to rehydrate the
IPG strips and load the protein sample.
This is the final step of day 1.
4.3 Isoelectric Focusing.
1 Place a clean, dry PROTEAN IEF focusing tray the same size as the rehydrating IPG strips
onto the lab bench.
2 Using forceps, place a paper wick at both ends of the channels covering the wire electrodes.
Use channels with the same numbers as those used during rehydration. As shown in Figure
5, channel numbers 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, and 12 contain electrode wicks.
3 Pipet 8 µl of nanopure water (provided) onto each wick to wet them as shown in Figure 6.
Readjust their position if necessary.
4 Remove the cover from the rehydration/equilibration tray containing the IPG strips. Using
forceps, carefully hold the strip vertically for about 7 to 8 seconds to allow the mineral oil
to drain (Figure 7), then transfer the IPG strip to the corresponding channel in the focusing
tray (maintain the gel side down) (Figure 8). Repeat for all the strips.
Electrode wicks are important as recepta-
cles for salts and other non-amphoteric
constituents of the sample, and they
improve the quality of the results.
8
Mineral oil prevents evaporation of the sam-
ple during rehydration, thus preventing pre-
cipitation of the urea. IPG strips can be left
to rehydrate for up to 1 hr before adding the
oil. This simplifies overlaying the strips with
oil as most of the sample is now absorbed
into the strip.
Fig. 5. Placement of paper wicks over
electrode at each end of channel.
9
Fig. 6 Wetting the electrode wicks with water.
Fig. 7 Draining the oil. Fig. 8 Placing the ReadyStrip gel side down
in the focusing tray.
Draining the oil essentially washes the
outside surface of the gel, removing
unabsorbed protein and resulting in
reduced horizontal streaking. If desired,
the disposable rehydration/equilibration
tray can be cleaned, dried, and used to
store strips after the completion of the
first-dimension run.
5 Cover each IPG strip with 2 to 3 ml of
fresh mineral oil. Check for, and if applicable remove, any trapped air bubbles
beneath the strips. Place the lid onto the
tray (positive “+” to the left when the
inclined portion of the tray is on the right
as in Figure 8).
6 Place the focusing tray into the PROTEAN IEF cell and close the cover.
7 Program the PROTEAN IEF cell using the appropriate 3-step protocol in Table 2. For all
strip lengths, use the default cell temperature of 20ºC, with a maximum current of 50
µA/strip and No Rehydration. Refer to Section 5, Appendix, or the PROTEAN IEF cell
manual for details on entering the run parameters.
8 Press START to initiate the electrophoresis run.
10
Remember to observe the correct polarity
during the transfer of strips into the focus-
ing tray. The convenient “+” and “pH4-7”
printed on the strips (acidic end) should be
positioned at the end of the tray marked
with the “+” (this is the left side of the tray
when the inclined portion of the tray is on
the right as in Figure 7)
7 cm Voltage Time Volt-Hours Ramp
Step 1 250 20 min ----- Linear
Step 2 4,000 2 hr ----- Linear
Step 3 4,000 ----- 10,000 V-hr Rapid
Total 5 hr 14,000 V-hr
Table 2.
11 cm Voltage Time Volt-Hours Ramp
Step 1 250 20 min ----- Linear
Step 2 8,000 2.5 hr ----- Linear
Step 3 8,000 ----- 20,000 V-hr Rapid
Total 5.3 hr ~30,000 V-hr
17 cm Voltage Time Volt-Hours Ramp
Step 1 250 20 min ----- Linear
Step 2 10,000 2.5 hr ----- Linear
Step 3 10,000 ----- 40,000 V-hr Rapid
Total 7 hr ~50,000 V-hr
4.4 Completion of IEF.
1. When the electrophoresis run has been completed, remove the IPG strips from the focusing tray and transfer them gel side up into a new or clean, dry disposable rehydration/equilibration tray which matches the length of the IPG. Hold the strips vertically with
the forceps and let the mineral oil drain from the strip for ~5 seconds before transfer.
Maintain the IPG strips in the same order as in the focusing tray.
2. Proceed to section 4.5 to stain two of the strips, and then proceed to section 4.6 with the
remaining strips. Alternatively, the tray containing the remaining IPG strips can be covered,
wrapped in plastic wrap and placed at -70ºC for storage. The second-dimension SDSPAGE gels can then be run at a later time.
4.5 Staining IPG Strips with IEF Stain or BioSafe Coomassie Stain.
1. Transfer 2 of the IPG strips to a clean, dry piece of blotting filter paper with the gel side
facing up.
2. Thoroughly wet a second filter paper of the same size with nanopure water. Carefully lay
the wet filter paper onto the IPG strips. Press firmly over the entire length of the strips. Do
NOT squish the gels. When finished, carefully “peel” back the top filter paper. This blotting
step removes mineral oil on the surface of the IPG, thereby reducing background staining
and generally improving the staining of the IPG strips.
3. Transfer the 2 IPG strips to a staining tray containing approximately 50 ml of Bio-Safe
Coomassie stain or Bio-Rad’s IEF stain.
4. Place the tray onto a rocking platform or orbital shaker for 1 hour.
5. Destain the IPG strips twice for 10 minutes each. For Bio-Safe stain use 20 mM Tris-HCl,
pH 8.8. For IEF stain use destain solution (catalog #161-0438). Complete destaining of
the IPG strips may take several hours. Changing the destain solution several times can
accelerate this process.
11
After IEF it is sometimes helpful to remove a subset of the IPG strips and stain them with either
IEF stain or Bio-Safe Coomassie stain to assess the quality of the focusing step. A procedure
for staining IPG strips after the IEF step is described in section 4.5. Staining two of the six strips
focused is recommended. However, this IEF stain step is optional.
For 7 cm or 11 cm strips, after completion of the focusing step it is recommended to remove
two of the focused strips and stain them following section 4.5, steps 1-4. During the staining
step (section 4.5, step 4), a 1 hr incubation in staining solution, it is recommended to equilibrate
and mount the remaining strips on the second-dimension gels (section 4.6). Once the SDSPAGE gels are running, return to section 4.5, step 5 to destain the first-dimension stain.
For 17 cm strips, after the completion of the focusing step it is recommended to remove two of
the focused strips and stain them following section 4.5. The remaining strips (gel side up in the
disposable rehydration/equilibration tray per section 4.4, step 1) can be covered with the tray
cover, and then wrapped in plastic wrap and placed at -70ºC for storage. The second-dimension SDS-PAGE gels can then be set up and run on Day 2.
6 Figure 9 shows the expected pattern when IPG strips of 17 cm, 11 cm, and 7 cm are
stained with IEF gel staining solution (catalog # 161-0434) and destained with Coomassie
Brilliant Blue R-250 destaining solution (catalog # 161-0438).
4.6 Preparations Needed Before Beginning IPG Equilibration & SDS-PAGE.
Due to time considerations, it is practical to proceed to running the second-dimension
SDS-PAGE gel if either the 7 cm or 11 cm IPG strips were used. If 17 cm IPG strips were
focused, the length of the SDS-PAGE step is prohibitive in most circumstances to completing this step the same day. In this case, the IPG strips can be frozen at -70ºC as
described above (section 4.4, step 2) and the SDS-PAGE gel can be run on the next day.
1. Preparation of SDS-PAGE Gels.
a Remove from the refrigerator the same number of 8-16% precast polyacrylamide gels
as the number of IPG strips to be run in the second dimension.
b Open the packaging for each gel and remove the gels.
c Remove the IPG comb from each gel and rinse the well briefly with nanopure
water using a water bottle.
d Place the rinsed gels into a tray and when all have been processed, cover the tray
with plastic wrap to prevent the gels from drying out.
2. Preparation of 1X SDS-PAGE Gel Running Buffer.
a Prepare sufficient 1X Tris/glycine/SDS (TGS) running buffer to run the number gels of
the size decided upon. See section 5, Appendix, for the recipe for this buffer. Bio-Rad
offers a convenient 10X TGS stock solution which is easily diluted with distilled water
to make 1X running buffer (See Section 6 for ordering information).
3. Preparation of Equilibration Buffer I and II.
The equilibration buffers should be prepared about 15 minutes before use. If the IPG strips were
frozen at -70ºC, they can be removed from the freezer and placed onto the lab bench to thaw
at this time. The strips require 10-15 minutes to thaw. It is best to not leave the thawed IPG
strips for longer than 15-20 minutes as diffusion of the proteins can result in reduced sharpness
of the protein spots.
12
Fig. 9. Isoelectric focusing of E. coli protein sample in 7 cm, 11 cm, and 17 cm IPG strips
followed by staining with IEF gel staining solution.
a Remove the kit from the refrigerator and unpack the 2 bottles of equilibration buffer I
(WHITE or SILVER caps), the 2 bottles of equilibration buffer II (RED caps), the bottle
of 30% glycerol (CLEAR cap), the 2 bottles of iodoacetamide (RED caps), and the
bottle of overlay agarose (CLEAR cap).
b Remove the crimp and open the two bottles of equilibration buffer I and equilibration
buffer II. (NOTE: if 3 or fewer 17 cm IPGs, 5 or fewer 11 cm IPGs, or 8 or fewer 7 cm
IPGs are to be separated in the second dimension, then only 1 bottle each of equili-
bration buffer I and II and 1 bottle of iodoacetamide is needed.)
Prepare Equilibration Buffer I: To each one bottle of equilibration buffer I carefully
add 13.35 ml of the supplied 30% glycerol solution. Each bottle contains a stirbar. Place
the bottle onto a stirplate and mix until all the solids have completely dissolved. It may be
necessary to periodically swirl the contents of the bottle to dislodge solids remaining on
the walls of the glass bottle. Generally, the solids will be dissolved in less than 5 minutes.
The bottle will chill as the urea in the solids dissolves. To expedite this buffer reconstitution
process the bottle can be warmed slightly in the palm of the hand or placed into a water
bath set for 25-30ºC as the solution stirs. Do not heat above 30ºC.
Prepare Equilibration Buffer II: To each bottle of equilibration buffer II carefully add
13.35 ml of the supplied 30% glycerol solution. Each bottle contains a stirbar. Place the bottle
onto a stirplate and mix until all the solids have completely dissolved as described above for
equilibration buffer I.
4.7 IPG Equilibrations.
1. If the IPGs were frozen at -70ºC then confirm that the strips have thawed before continuing. Frozen IPG strips containing sample are opaque white and turn to clear after thawing
and redissolving of the urea present inside each strip.
2. Using Table 3 as a guide, add the indicated volume of equilibration buffer I to each channel containing an IPG strip (gel side up per section 4.4).
3. Place the tray on an orbital shaker and gently shake for 10 minutes. Select a slow shaker
speed to prevent the buffer from sloshing out of the tray.
4. After placing the IPG strips to shake in equilibration buffer I, proceed to complete the
preparation of equilibration buffer II. Add the contents of one bottle of iodoacetamide to
each bottle of equilibration buffer II. Return the bottle(s) to stir until the iodoacetamide is
fully dissolved.
5. At the end of the 10 minute incubation, discard the used equilibration buffer I by carefully
decanting the liquid from the tray. Decanting is best carried out by pouring the liquid from
the square side of the rehydration/equilibration tray (left side in Figure 4), until the tray is
positioned vertically. Take care not to pour out the liquid too quickly at first as the strips
may slide out of the tray. When most of the liquid has been decanted, “flick” the tray a
couple times to remove the last few drops of equilibration buffer I.
13
6. Using Table 3, add the indicated volume of complete equilibration buffer II (containing
iodoacetamide) to each strip.
7. Return the tray to the orbital shaker for 10 minutes.
8. During the incubation, melt the overlay agarose solution in a microwave oven using the
following method.
a Loosen the cap of the bottle of overlay agarose and place the bottle in the center of a
microwave oven.
b Microwave on high 45 – 60 seconds until the agarose liquifies. Times will vary depend-
ing upon the power of the microwave. It is best to stop the microwave after 30 seconds
and swirl the bottle to mix the solution. Then, return the bottle and microwave for 15
additional seconds, swirl the liquid again and repeat this again if needed. CAUTION
should be taken as the overlay agarose contains SDS, which when heated can cause
bubbling over of the agarose solution. Set the overlay agarose solution aside. If
desired a stirbar can be added and the bottle set to stir slowly.
9. Discard the equilibration buffer II by decanting at the end of the incubation period as
described in step 5 above.
4.8 SDS-PAGE.
1 Fill a 100 ml graduated cylinder or a tube that is the same length or longer than the IPG
strip length with 1X Tris-glycine-SDS running buffer. Use a Pasteur pipette to remove any
bubbles on the surface of the buffer.
2 Finish preparing the SDS-PAGE gels by blotting away any excess water remaining inside
the IPG well using Whatman 3MM or similar blotting paper. Lay the gels onto the bench
with the top of the gel facing you and the back (tall) plate on the bottom; see Figure 10.
14
Strip Length 7 cm 11 cm 17 cm
Equilibration Buffer I 2.5 ml 4 ml 6 ml
Equilibration Buffer II 2.5 ml 4 ml 6 ml
Table 3.
Fig. 10. Rinsing the ReadyStrip in 1 X TGS running buffer.
3. Remove an IPG strip from the disposable rehydration/equilibration tray and dip briefly into
the graduated cylinder containing the 1X Tris/glycine/SDS running buffer, as shown in
Figure 10. Lay the strip gel side up and onto the back plate of the SDS-PAGE gel above
the IPG well (Figure 11). Repeat this process for any remaining IPG strips.
4. Take the first SDS-PAGE gel with the IPG strip resting on the back plate and hold or stand
vertically with the short plate facing towards you as in Figure 12. Use a pasteur pipette or
a Disposable Plastic Transfer Pipet (Bio-Rad catalog # 223-9522) and pipet overlay
agarose solution into the IPG well of the gel.
15
Fig. 11. Placing the ReadyStrip gel side up on the back plate of the SDS-PAGE gel.
Fig. 12. SDS-PAGE gel with ReadyStrip held vertically in rack. Pipetting overlay agarose into the IPG well.
5 Using the forceps, carefully push the strip into the well as shown in Figure 13, taking care
not to trap any air bubbles beneath the strip. When pushing the IPG strips with the forceps be certain the forceps are pushing on the plastic backing to the strip and not the gel
matrix.
6. Stand the gel(s) vertically by placing them in the gel box (Criterion system) or in a test tube
rack. Allow the agarose to solidify for 5 minutes before proceeding.
7. Mount the gel into the gel box per the instructions provided with the apparatus.
8. Fill the reservoirs with 1X Tris/glycine/SDS running buffer and begin the electrophoresis.
Table 4 lists the electrophoresis run conditions for each of Bio-Rad’s three SDS-PAGE formats. The migration of the Bromophenol Blue, present in the overlay agarose solution, is
used to monitor the progress of the electrophoresis.
16
Fig. 13. Sliding ReadyStrip into IPG well filled with melted overlay agarose.
Strip Length 7 cm 11 cm 17 cm
Electrophoresis cell Mini-PROTEAN Criterion PROTEAN II XL
Conditions 200 V, constant 200 V, constant 16 mA/gel for
30 min, then 24
mA/gel for ~5 hr
Approximate run time 40 min 65 min 5.5 hr
Table 4.
17
4.9 STAINING.
The 2-D starter kit was designed so that sufficient protein sample loaded in the IEF
dimension readily stain second-dimension SDS-PAGE gel with widely available Coomassie
Blue stains such as Bio-Rad’s Bio-Safe Coomassie stain and Coomassie Brilliant Blue R250 stain. These staining protocols are rapid and easy to perform so that the 2-D electrophoresis results can be quickly assessed. A description of each staining protocol is provided below.
1. BioSafe Coomassie Stain.
a Fill enough staining trays with nanopure water for the number of gels run and set
aside (for Ready Gel and Criterion gels use 200 ml per gel and for PROTEAN II Ready
Gel gels use 400 ml per gel).
b At the conclusion of the SDS-PAGE, open each gel cassette and place each gel into a
tray with water.
c Wash the gels 3 times for 5 minutes each. Add fresh water for each wash.
d Add enough Bio-Safe stain to completely cover each gel. For Ready Gel and Criterion
gels about 50 ml per gel is sufficient. For PROTEAN II Ready Gel gels use about 100
ml of the stain.
e Place each gel on a rocker or orbital shaker and shake for at least 60 minutes. The
gels can be left in the stain overnight if desired.
f Discard the stain and wash the gels twice for 15-30 minutes with water. Longer water
washes may be needed to remove remaining background. The gels can be stored in
water for several days.
g Figure 14 shows the expected 2-D gel images of the E. coli protein sample run on
each of the 3 different gel formats (7 cm/Ready Gel, 11 cm/Criterion, and 17 cm/
PROTEAN II Ready Gel) and stained with Bio-Safe Coomassie Stain.
2. Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 Stain.
a Add enough Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 stain to one or more staining trays to
completely cover each gel.
b At the conclusion of SDS-PAGE, open each gel cassette and place each gel into the
stain.
c Place each gel on a rocker or orbital shaker and shake for at least 60 minutes.
Discard the stain when complete.
d Destain the gels with destain solution (10% acetic acid/40% methanol in water) until
the background staining is acceptable. For best results change the destain solution
several times. The gels can be stored for several days in a solution of 10% acetic acid.
e Figure 15 shows the expected 2-D gel images of the E. coli protein sample run on
each of the 3 different gel formats (7 cm/Ready Gel, 11 cm/Criterion, and 17 cm/
PROTEAN II Ready Gel) and stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 stain.
4.10 Imaging.
1 To preserve the gel images, the destained gels can be imaged on a densitometer such as
Bio-Rad’s GS-800 calibrated imaging densitometer (catalog # 170-7980). Alternatively,
gels can be equilibrated for at least 30 minutes in gel drying solution (catalog # 161-0752)
and dried.
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Fig. 14 A. Ready Gel stained with Bio-Safe stain.
Fig. 14 B. Criterion stained with Bio-Safe stain.
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Fig. 14 C. PROTEAN Ready Gel stained with Bio-Safe stain.
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Figure 15 A. Ready Gel stained with Coomassie Blue R-250 stain.
Fig. 15 B. Criterion stained with Coomassie Blue R-250 stain.
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Figure 15 C. PROTEAN Ready Gel stained with Coomassie Blue R-250 stain.
Section 5
Appendix
A Buffer and Reagent Preparation
To avoid introducing experimental error when using this kit, we suggest using premixed buffers
and stains. These can be found in section 6, Product Information.
1X Tris/glycine/SDS running buffer (25 mM Tris, 192 mM glycine, 0.1% SDS, pH 8.3)
Tris base 3.03 gm
Glycine 14.4 gm
SDS 1.0 gm
Water to 1 L, do not adjust pH
Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 stain solution (0.1% Coomassie Blue R-250 in 40% MeOH, 10%
HOAc)
Coomassie Blue R-250 1.0 gm
Water 500 ml
Acetic acid 100 ml
Methanol 400 ml
Destain solution (10% acetic acid, 40% methanol)
Water 500 ml
Acetic acid 100 ml
Methanol 400 ml
B Programming the PROTEAN IEF Cell
New method programming instructions are also found in the PROTEAN IEF cell manual.
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1. - Select the NEW METHOD mode to program a new method
REHYDRATION >
PRESET METHOD >
STORED METHOD >
NEW METHOD >
2. - Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter a program name.
- Select NO for Rehydration
- Use default FOCUS TEMP of 20°C
- Press NEXT
NAME: "Ecoli" >
REHYDRATION Yes NO >
FOCUS TEMP 20 °C >
NEXT >
3. - Enter step 1 final voltage of 250 V
same voltage for all strip lengths)
- Select LINEAR ramp. Use key next to arrow, >, to move
the brackets, [ ] ,around the selection
- Press NEXT
S 01 250>
SELECT VOLTAGE SLOPE
LINEAR [ää]>
NEXT >
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4. - The first line displays the step number, slope and voltage
- Select HRS:MIN (default)
- Enter time of 20 min.
- Press NEXT
S 01 250 V
HRS:MIN vhours >
ENTER TIME: 00:20 >
NEXT >
5. - Select ADD (default)
- Enter Step 2
- Press NEXT
ADD inset delete >
ENTER STEP # 2 >
NEXT >
METHOD COMPLETE >
6. - Enter step 2 final voltage
7 cm: 4,000 V; 11 cm: 8,000 V; 17 cm: 10,000 V)
- Select LINEAR ramp. Use key next to arrow, >, to move
the brackets, [ ] ,around the selection
- Press NEXT
S 02 xxxx V>
SELECT VOLTAGE SLOPE
LINEAR [ää]>
NEXT >
7. - The first line displays the step number, slope and voltage
- Select HRS:MIN (default)
- Enter time
(7 cm: 2:00; 11 cm: 2:30; 17 cm 2:30)
S 02 xxxx V>
HRS:MIN vhours >
ENTER TIME: xx:xx >
NEXT >
8. - Select ADD (default)
- Enter step 3
- Press NEXT
ADD Inset delete >
ENTER STEP # 3 >
NEXT >
METHOD COMPLETE >
9. - Enter step 3 final voltage
(7 cm: 4,000 V; 11 cm: 8,000 V; 17 cm: 10,000 V)
- Select RAPID ramp. Use key next to arrow, >, to move
the brackets, [ ] ,around the selection
- Press NEXT
S 03 xxxx V>
SELECT VOLTAGE SLOPE
RAPID [] >
NEXT >
- The first line displays the step number, slope and
voltage
- Select VHOURS (default)
- Enter time (volt hours)
(7 cm: 10,000; 11 cm: 20,000; 17 cm 40,000)
- Press NEXT
S 03 xxxx V>
HRS:MIN VHOURS
ENTER TIME: xxxxx >
NEXT >
10.
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11. - Select METHOD COMPLETE
ADD inset delete >
ENTER STEP # >
NEXT >
METHOD COMPLETE >
12. - The save method screen is displayed when the name entered
is displayed
- Select YES
- Press NEXT
“Ecoli” >
SAVE METHOD? YES no >
NEXT >
13. - Enter number of gels
- Press to start
ENTER # OF GELS: # >
m
A LIMIT/GEL 50 >
FOCUS TEMP 20 °C >
PRESS TO START >
Section 6
Product Information
Catalog
Number Product Description
2-D Starter Kit accessories
163-2105 ReadyPrep 2-D Starter Kit
163-2106 ReadyPrep Rehydration/Sample Buffer, 1 bottle, 10 ml
163-2107 ReadyPrep Equilibration Buffer I, 1 bottle, 20 ml
163-2108 ReadyPrep Equilibration Buffer II, 1 bottle, 20 ml
163-2109 Iodoacetamide, 30 gm
163-2110 ReadyPrep E. coli Protein Sample, 1 vial, 2.7 mg
163-2111 ReadyPrep Overlay Agarose, 1 bottle, 50 ml
ReadyStrip IPG Strips
163-2001 ReadyStrip IPG Strips, 7 cm, pH 4-7, 12
163-2015 ReadyStrip IPG Strips, 11 cm, pH 4-7, 12
163-2008 ReadyStrip IPG Strips, 17 cm, pH 4-7, 12
Precast SDS-PAGE gels
161-1394 Ready Gel Precast Gel, 8-16% Tris-HCl, IPG comb, 1
345-0041 Criterion 8-16% Tris-HCl Gel, IPG comb, 1
161-1453 PROTEAN II Ready Gel precast gel, 8-16% Tris-HCl, IPG comb, 1
IEF accessories
163-2129 Mineral Oil
165-4035 Disposable Rehydration/Equilibration Tray with Lid, 7 cm, 25
165-4025 Disposable Rehydration/Equilibration Tray with Lid, 11 cm, 25
165-4015 Disposable Rehydration/Equilibration Tray with Lid, 17 cm, 25
165-4071 Electrode Wicks, precut, 500
165-4070 Forceps, 1
165-4072 Cleaning Brush, 2
Buffers and Stains
161-0732 10X Tris/Glycine/SDS, 1 L
161-0772 10X Tris/Glycine/SDS, 5 L
161-0798 1.5 M Tris-HCl, pH 8.8, 1 L
161-0434 IEF Gel Staining Solution, 1 L *
161-0786 Bio-Safe Coomassie Stain, 1 L
161-0787 Bio-Safe Coomassie Stain, 5 L
161-0436 Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 Staining Solution, 1 L *
161-0438 Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 Destaining Solution, 1 L
* Requires 161-0438, Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 Destaining Solution
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Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.
2000 Alfred Nobel Dr., Hercules, CA 94547
510-741-1000
4110009 Rev A
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