Chapter 4.7. Bioaffinity chromatography

Abstract

This chapter discusses bioaffinity chromatography. Bioaffinity chromatography is adsorption chromatography,based on the exceptional ability of biologically active substances to bind specifically and reversibly complementary substances. They are generally called ligands or affinity ligands or affinants for the purpose of bioaffinity chromatography. The complexes of enzymes with their inhibitors, substrates, cofactors or effectors, antibodies with antigens or haptens, lectins with glycoproteins or polysaccharides, complexes of nucleic acids, etc., may be presented as an example. As a stationary phase in a chromatographic column, a solid support with a covalently bound affinant is used. Bioaffinity chromatography has been used for the isolation of enzymes, their inhibitors and cofactors, antibodies and antigens, lectins, polysaccharides and glycoproteins, nucleic acids and nucleotides, binding, transport and repressor proteins, hormones and their receptors, and of a great number of other products. Bioaffinity chromatography can resolve and purify cells and cell membranes, viruses and phages, denatured, genetically and chemically modified proteins. It can be used for the concentration of dilute protein solutions or for the storage of otherwise unstable proteins in immobilized form.