Use of surfactant-mediated phase separation (cloud point extraction) with affinity ligands for the extraction of hydrophilic proteins

The feasibility of utilizing a zwitterionic surfactant, 3-(nonyldimethylammonio)propylsulfate, or nonionic surfactant, Triton X-114, mediated phase separation in conjunction with affinity ligands was studied for hydrophilic protein extractions. Below (or above) its critical temperature (so-called cloud point), aqueous solutions of zwitterionic (or nonionic) surfactants separate into two immiscible phases, a surfactant-rich phase and an aqueous phase. Avidin was successfully extracted into the zwitterionic surfactant-rich phase when a small amount of the affinity ligand, N- biotinoyl)dipalmitoyl- l -alpha- phosphatidyl ethanolamine, was added to the system. It was not possible to extract hexokinase into the surfactant-rich phase of the nonionic surfactant, Triton X-114, even if a considerable amount of octyl-beta-d-glucoside was added to the solution as an affinity ligand. In contrast, the use of the zwitterionic surfactant and octyl-beta-d-glucoside as an affinity ligand proved to be effective for the extraction of hexokinase. The hexokinase extraction efficiency was found to depend upon the solution pH and the concentration of the affinity ligand in the system. The results clearly indicate that hydrophilic proteins can be successfully extracted with surfactant mediated phase separations (cloud point extractions) via use of the zwitterionic surfactant, 3-(nonyldimethylammonio)propylsulfate, and appropriate affinity ligands. Some advantages of zwitterionic surfactants in such extractive processes relative to that of nonionic surfactants are delineated.