Imaged capillary isoelectric focusing in native condition: A novel and successful example

Imaged capillary isoelectric focusing (icIEF) separates ampholytic components of biomolecules in an electric field according to their isoelectric points and has been used for protein charge variants quantification and characterization. Denaturants are ordinarily incorporated into icIEF to stabilize charge species in solution. In certain circumstances, however, denaturants are detrimental to stable isoelectric separation of proteins due to their unique structural and biophysical features, such as an aggregation-prone antibody we encountered recently. Here we report our novel matrix formula non-detergent sulfobetaine and taurine (NDSB-T). It is deprived of denaturants that notably ameliorates the assay robustness and peak resolution for this antibody. NDSB-T is a combination of non-detergent sulfobetaine (NDSB) and taurine possessing the stabilization and separation power while maintaining protein integrity. As a result, assay throughputs are tremendously increased for more than 10 folds along with extraordinarily improved assay accuracy. Furthermore, NDSB-T can separate and quantify protein charge species in native state and therefore avoid partial denaturation derived peaks which are often misleading and hard to characterize. NDSB-T may be a valuable tool for proteins incompatible with conventional icIEF matrices and potentially opens a new window for icIEF assay in native conditions.