Is it neutral pH or salt thats required for protein phenol extraction?
Acidic phenol extracts proteins efficiently if salt is present, however it also extracts acids which cause smearing on SDS gels. Rationale Samples often have “junk” which interferes with SDS gel electrophoresis and protein detection. Mini-phenol extraction ” clarifies” such samples. It selectively removes non-protein components in minipurified preps and clarifies samples from gum rich tissues. One can often detect virus inclusions among total leaf proteins. Total leaf protein analysis will miss many virus infections detectable by minipurification. However the technique is quicker and cheaper. It will likely detect some infections missed by other methods. Troubleshooting To ensure complete extraction heat a sample above 50C (where phases merge) to facilitate denaturation and mixing. Consider adding a standard protein as an internal control. If you see no proteins consider phase inversion (not enough sucrose to keep the phenol layer on top). Phases can be marked with lipid soluble or wat
