This lab activity has two objectives, on one hand it is designed to deepen the understanding of protein molecules. On the other hand, students also learn the potential of electrophoresis in protein analysis.
Students study the fundamentals of protein structure from their primary structure to the more complex tertiary and quaternary structures, utilizing protein electrophoresis. Complex mixture of protein samples and characterized pure protein samples, in conjunction with electrophoresis, are utilized to study protein structure and the potential of protein electrophoresis. Using non-denaturing and denaturing electrophoresis, students understand the difference between primary, tertiary and quaternary structures, the importance of disulfhydryl bridges in maintaining protein structure and electrophoresis in studying complete proteins and protein subunits.