Experimental Studies with a Bonded N-acetylaminopropylsilica Stationary Phase for the Aqueous High Performance Exclusion Chromatogrpahy of Polypeptides and Proteins

Chromatographic classification and comparison of commercially available reversed-phase liquid chromatographic columns containing polar embedded groups/amino endcappings using principal component analysis

Polar embedded phases have become increasingly popular in liquid chromatography (LC) analysis. These phases can produce diverse chromatographic selectivities as a result of their differing base silica, the type of polar embedded group (i.e. amide, urea, carbamate, ether or sulphonamide moieties) and the length of the alkyl ligand. Four column characterization protocols, using differing test probes, have been used to characterize 18 of these phases together with 17 alkyl phases (some of which contained novel polar endcapping, i.e. amino), which have been evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). PCA provided graphical comparisons of the differences/similarities between these phases and between their corresponding C-alkyl, amino endcapped and enhanced polar selectivity phases.

Computer simulation of high-performance liquid chromatographic separations of peptide and protein digests for development of size-exclusion, ion-exchange and reversed-phase chromatographic methods

A computer program, called Pro Digest-LC, has been developed which assists scientists in devising methods of size-exclusion, cation-exchange and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the analytical separation and purification of biologically active peptides and peptide fragments from enzymatic and chemical digests of proteins. Pro Digest-LC accurately predicts the retention behaviour of peptides of known composition, containing 2-50 amino acid residues, and simulates the elution profiles in all three modes of chromatography. In addition, Pro Digest-LC is a user-friendly program, designed as a teaching aid for both students and researchers in selecting the correct conditions for chromatography, that is, the mode of chromatography, column selection, mobile-phase selection, and has the ability to examine the effects of flow-rate, gradient-rate, and sample size on the separation. We have designed a set of peptide standards for each mode of chromatography to aid the researcher in eliminating non-specific interactions, to standardize retention behaviour on the user's columns, to monitor column performance and to compare packing materials. In the development of each prediction mode, experimental peak heights, peak widths, and retention times from model synthetic peptide standards were incorporated directly into the program and can be used as default values. Pro Digest-LC is an interactive program, in that researchers can run peptide standards on their particular columns and enter the peak width at half-height, peak height, retention time and quantity injected to adjust the simulation to their particular column. The simulated experiments eliminate the time-consuming trial-and-error methods used to suitable separation or purification procedures. The researcher would perform the actual experiment only after predicting the optimized conditions, thereby saving valuable sample and research time. The general concepts of the program along with representative separations of protein digests are displayed.

Elution behaviour of some proteins on fresh, acid- or base-treated Sephacryl S-200 HR

The influence of sodium chloride concentration and the pH of the mobile phase on the distribution coefficient of proteins with different pI values was studied on Sephacryl S-200 HR. The non-size-related behaviour of this gel filtration packing is mainly attributed to small amounts of groups that are negatively charged within the pH range investigated (4.2-10.0). These anionic groups on the packing gave rise to ion-exchange or ion-exclusion interactions depending on the charge characteristics of the protein. Hydrophobic interactions at high ionic strength and intramolecular electrostatic repulsive interactions at low ionic strength were also observed for some proteins. The chemical stability of Sephacryl S-200 HR was studied by comparing the chromatographic results with Sephacryl S-200 HR that had been treated in acidic or basic solutions with those with fresh Sephacryl. After Sephacryl S-200 HR had been stored for 2 weeks in 0.10 M sodium hydroxide the chromatographic results at low ionic strengths clearly showed that groups that are positively charged at pH 4.2 had been formed. However, storage for 2 weeks in 0.01 M hydrochloric acid did not change the chromatographic behaviour of the proteins from that observed when injected on fresh Sephacryl S-200 HR.

Size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography of peptides. Requirement for peptide standards to monitor column performance and non-ideal behaviour

A series of five synthetic peptide polymers with the sequence Ac-(G-L-G-A-K-G-A-G-V-G)n-amide, where n = 1-5, was employed to assess the resolving power of high-performance size-exclusion columns in peptide separations. The peptide standards showed great versatility in monitoring both ideal (no interactions of solutes with the column material) and non-ideal (hydrophobic and/or ionic interactions of solutes with the column material) size-exclusion behaviour in volatile and non-volatile mobile phases. The effectiveness of adding salts or organic solvents to overcome non-specific interactions of solutes with the column materials was well illustrated by the standards. In addition, the advantageous use of non-ideal size-exclusion behaviour was highlighted. The ability to predict the position and/or elution order of peptides during size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) requires peptides to be separated by a pure size-exclusion process. Although the peptide standards demonstrated similar ideal size-exclusion profiles in non-denaturing medium on all the columns studied, this study suggested that, if the conformational character of a peptide-protein mixture in a particular mobile phase is uncertain and ideal size-exclusion behaviour is required, SEC should be carried out under highly denaturing conditions.

Optimum support properties for protein separations by high-performance size exclusion chromatography

Optimum chromatographic properties of high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) of proteins, such as resolution, molecular weight accuracy and recovery, are obtained on packings and columns with tailor-made physical and chemical structures, employed at properly adjusted eluent compositions and operation conditions. SEC-theory suggests that a broad molecular weight fractionation range and high linearity of the log-linear calibration plot can be achieved by the use of two packings (10- and 80-nm pore size, characterized by a pore-size distribution (psd) equal to or less than 1 decade and by equal internal column porosity (p)), rather than a single 30- to 50-nm pore-size packing with a wide psd. Favourably high-phase ratios of (p)/(o)/ 1.0 for HPSEC columns were accomplished with a minimum interstitial column porosity (o) and a high value for the internal column porosity (p) (the specific pore volume, nu(p), multiplied by the packing density, varrho(p).) Ligands such as diol, N-acetoxyamino and oligomeric ether with a propyl- or propoxy-spacer bonded to the silica at the highest density appear to provide high mass recovery and bioactivity as well as chemical stability. Such packings, available in 3-5 mum particle size ranges of narrow distribution, packed into columns 6 mm i.d. and 500 mm in length, offer the best compromise with respect to resolution, speed and pressure drop. More careful studies are required to explain the effects of protein conformational changes and interconversions during elution on HPSEC columns.