Chromatography of Soluble Macromolecular Components of HeLa Cells

Abstract

ONLY limited success has been obtained in the electrophoretic analysis of soluble macromolecular components from HeLa human cancer cells or other cells grown in vitro. The separation is poor, and the fractions overlap; in the case of HeLa cells, the relatively best results have been obtained with starch gel¹. Macromolecules can be efficiently fractionated on cellulose ion exchangers, and under strictly defined conditions their chromatographic properties may be as characteristic for them as electrophoretic mobility and behaviour in sedimentation. In the work recorded here, the chromatography on DEAE-cellulose columns of soluble components of HeLa cells has been studied. In view of the small amount of material available, micromethods have been applied, and both proteins and nucleic acids have been estimated sensitively by their absorption at 210 mµ. Amounts of the order of 1–3 mg protein could still be analysed.