Purification of GST-Tagged Proteins

This protocol describes the purification of recombinant proteins fused to glutathione S-transferase (GST, GST-tagged proteins) by Glutathione Affinity purification. The GST tag frequently increases the solubility of the fused protein of interest and thus enables its purification and subsequent functional characterization. The GST-tagged protein specifically binds to glutathione immobilized to a matrix (e.g., agarose) and can be easily separated from a cell lysate by a bind-wash-elute procedure. GST-tagged proteins are often used to study protein-protein interactions, again making use of glutathione affinity in a procedure called a GST pull-down assay. The protocol is designed to process 200 ml of E. coli culture expressing intermediate to high amounts of a GST-tagged protein (~25 mg l(-1)). Depending on the expression rate or the available culture volume, the scale can be increased or decreased linearly. The protocol can also be used to purify GST-tagged proteins from other expression systems, such as insect or mammalian cells. Tips are provided to aid in modifying certain steps if proteins shall be recovered from alternative expression systems.