Malvern Instruments has published a technical note introducing readers to the basics of protein chemistry, which is available to download from the company's website.
The document, 'An Introduction to Proteins in 30 Minutes' covers protein composition and structure as well as measurement and characterisation techniques.
Malvern said it has extensive experience in how size, molecular weight and zeta potential measurements can aid both manufacturers and researchers working with proteins.
While dynamic light scattering (DLS) is a relatively recent technique in the field of proteins, the lessons learned from materials science and other fields are helpful to protein chemists.
Malvern's Zetasizer software, for example, has a model to predict a protein's molecular weight from hydrodynamic size measurements.
Size measurements can also be used as a predictor of structural activity.
In conditions of extreme temperature and pH, a protein will become denatured.
By measuring hydrodynamic radius using DLS, this behaviour can be understood and controlled, enabling establishment of the protein's melting point, for example.
Other techniques, such as static light scattering (SLS), size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and the measurement of zeta potential as an indication of surface charge are also covered by Malvern's technical note.
A useful introduction for newcomers into the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology, Malvern also anticipates that the download will be a useful tool to highlight the benefits of characterisation instrumentation among protein chemistry experts.
