From: Joel Mackay <j.mackay@biochem.usyd.edu.au>
  To  : rasmb@alpha.bbri.org
  Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2001 10:01:41 +1000

light scattering

hi everyone,
Does anyone have a feel for the utility of multi-angle light scattering for 
the determination of molecular weights of proteins in solution? I have only 
just come across it as two detectors plumbed into the end of an FPLC - a 
light scatterer and an instrument for measuring refractive index. The 
literature says that it can reveal MW without a shape dependence, although 
it looks like it would be non-trivial if there was more than one species 
present (that is, it doesn't look like one could use it easily for 
determining association constants etc, just MW for a single purified 
species). Seems pretty powerful to be able to get a feel for MW in-line for 
each signal off your gel filtration run.
The instruments i saw were from Wyatt (miniDawn and Optilab DSP refractometer).
cheers
joel

*****************************************************************
Dr Joel Mackay
ARC Research Fellow
Department of Biochemistry, G08
University of Sydney,
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia
ph +61-2-9351-3906
fax +61-2-9351-4726
WWW: http://www.biochem.usyd.edu.au/staff/mackay/
Sydney Protein Group Website:
http://www.biochem.usyd.edu.au/spg/
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