TWO‐DIMENSIONAL GEL ELECTROPHORESIS ANALYSIS OF BROWN ALGAL PROTEIN EXTRACTS1

High‐quality protein extracts are required for proteomic studies, a field that is poorly developed for marine macroalgae. A reliable phenol extraction protocol using Scytosiphon gracilis Kogame and Ectocarpus siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngb. (Phaeophyceae) as algal models resulted in high‐quality protein extracts. The performance of the new protocol was tested against four methods available for vascular plants and a seaweed. The protocol, which includes an initial step to remove salts from the algal tissues, allowed the use of highly resolving two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2‐DE) protein analyses, providing the opportunity to unravel potentially novel physiological processes unique to this group of marine organisms.