Selective release of intracellular protein using pulsed electric field

Abstract

Abstract A release of intracellular protein under applied pulsed electric field conditions was studied using two yeast strains as subjects. In the present study, electric field strength was varied from 0 to 18 kV/cm. The release of protein with pulse treatment from the yeast cell having a hard cell wall, was detected by spectrometric analysis. Concentration of released protein concentration increased with increasing electric field strength. On the other hand, survivability ratio was almost constant although released protein concentration increased rapidly in a region below 10 kV/cm of pulsed electric field strength. It is suggested that intracellular protein can be released simultaneously with few cell deaths, though the usual method such as sonication or homogenization causes cell death. Two enzyme activities in supernatants extracted with various electric conditions implied different profiles against electric field strength. This result indicates the possibility of selective release of intracellular protein. No damage at the cell wall of pulse treated yeast was observed by using scanning electron microscopy, which suggests that a mechanism of releasing protein is different from the usual methods.