Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation

(from pET system manual)

 

a.       Add 1/10 volume of 100% TCA (w/v, made fresh) to solution to be precipitated and vortex for 15 sec.

b.      Place on ice for a minimum of 15 min.

c.       Centrifuge at 14,000 x g for 10 min.

d.      Remove and discard the supernatant.

e.       Wash the pellet 2x with 100 ul of acetone, by adding acetone, mixing, and then spinning for 5 min.  Remove and discard the acetone from the loose pellet.  Allow the final pellet to air dry thoroughly.  The presence of residual acetone will make the resuspension more difficult.

f.       Add desired volume of 2x protein loading buffer and resuspend by vigorous vortexing.