DETERMINATION OF PROTEIN CONCENTRATION

The determination of protein concentration in solutions has said to be essential in biological

laboratories, specifically an important step in biochemical assays. There are three common ways
to determine the protein concentrations namely, Lowry, BCA, and most importantly the Bradford
method. In this presentation we will focus on determining the protein concentration using the
Bradford method.

PHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION USING BRADFORD ASSAY

Photometric determination can be done in small sample sizes using micropipettes. This is based
on the linear relationship between concentration and light absorbency, where the greater the amount
(concentration) of light absorbing substances present, the greater the absorbency, as less light will
transmit. This is known as the beer-lamberts law which underlies all photometric methods.
Bradford assay is a dye-binding assay that is simple, rapid, and gives accurate results. This test
is based on the change of coloration of a dye in response to the different protein concentrations. Since
the amount of anionic form of the dye is proportional to the amount of proteins in the sample, the quantity
of proteins are then measured by directly measuring the absorption at 595 nm. (the change to the anionic
blue form of dye shifts at the maximum absorbance to 595 nm, using the maximum absorbance ensures
that you will get the most accurate change in absorption thereby getting the most accurate value of the
concentration).

 This method became well-known in research and other applications since it is a simple, quick,
one-step procedure that forms a relatively stable colored complex. One of the advantages of this
method is that it is free of many of the interferences that limit the application of other assays.
 However, this test is linear at limited concentration (5-200 microgram), that is why in case the
solution exceeds the protein concentrations in the linear range, dilutions are needed before
analysis.

Standard Solutions

 Because proteins differ in their amino acid compositions, each one responds somewhat differently
in each type of protein assay.
 Bradford assay uses standard solutions to be able to quantify the amount of protein in samples
and to remove interferents by subtracting any background that may shift the ratios..
 The standard solution most commonly used for Bradford Assay is Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)
as it has the ability to increase signal in assays, has high purity, affordable and easily mass-
producible. (extracted from cow’s blood).
 Another good standard solution is Bovine Gamma Globulin (BGG) as it produces a similar color
response curve to that of immunoglobulin G.

SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
 Spectrophotometry is commonly used in quantitatively analyzing chemical substances as it
measures a substance transmits or absorbs light. An analysis used by Bradford Assay to
measure the absorbance thereby getting the concentration of proteins in the solution.
 Uses spectrophotometer that measures the absorbed photons (light intensity) after it passed
through the solution. It also measures the concentration of a chemical substance by measuring
the intensity of light that was detected. This is classified into two types depending on the range of
the wavelength: UV-visible spectrophotometer (185 - 400 nm for UV and 400-700 nm for Visible)
and IR spectrophotometer (700-15000 nm).

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 STANDARD CURVE
 Standard curve is a graph of light absorbance versus concentration of known standard solution
which can be used to figure out the solute concentration in unknown samples. In Bradford Assay,
It is used to estimate the total protein concentration in an unknown samples with greatest
accuracy, it is important to use the standard curve whenever an assay is performed.

Principle
The principle of this assay is that the binding of protein molecules to Coomassie dye under acidic
conditions results in a color change from brown to blue. This is based on the observation that the
absorbance maximum for an acidic solution of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 shifts from 465 nm
to 595 nm when binding to protein occurs. Both hydrophobic and ionic interactions stabilize the
anionic form of the dye, causing a visible color change.


Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250

 It is a member of the Coomassie family of triphenylmethane dyes and is used as a common
analytical dye can also be used with the Bradford Method to determine protein concentration.
 With C47H48N3NaO7S2 as its chemical formula, it contains functional groups such as aniline,
arene, benzene ring, alkene, and primary, secondary and primary amines.
 There are two types of Coomassie; the G-250 and the R-250. G-250 is differentiated from the R-
250 Coomassie stain by the addition of two methyl groups and the slightly greenish tint to its
blue color.
 CBBG may exist in one of three forms: a cation (red form) at a pH below 0 with an absorbance
peak at 470 nm, an anion (blue form) at a pH above 2 with an absorbance peak at 595 nm, and a
neutral, green form at a pH around 1 with an absorbance peak around 650 nm. The blue, anionic
form is what binds with amino acid residues, such as arginine or aromatics, to form a stable
complex—forming the basis of the Bradford Method.
 Under acidic conditions, Coomassie G-250 is cationic, mainly doubly protonated, and is red,
whereas in neutral conditions the dye is green, and the anionic form is blue. The Bradford
reagent is an acidified solution of Coomassie G-250; the dye is thus primarily protonated and
red.
 The absorbance maximum for an acidic solution of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 dye shifts
from 465 nm to 595 nm when noncovalent electrostatic and van der Waals interactions with
proteins occur. Since the dye is anionic, it is more sensitive to proteins with high Arg, Lys, and His
content.
 The basis for the Bradford assay is that in order for the Coomassie dye to bind stably to protein,
it needs to be doubly protonated. When the dye comes in contact with protein, the first electron
is donated to charged groups on the protein. This disrupts the structure of the protein, resulting
in exposure of hydrophobic pockets. The dye binds to these pockets, with the sulfonic acid
groups binding to positive amines. In addition, there is attraction due to Van der Waals forces.
The stably bound Coomassie G-250 is the blue, unprotonated form.

 State the possible intermolecular forces of attractions that can exist when the Bradford dye
interacts with other molecules (i.e. proteins)

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  (3. What specific amino acids interacts with the Bradford reagent?)

Principle
The principle of this assay is that the binding of protein molecules to Coomassie dye under acidic
conditions results in a color change from brown to blue. This is based on the observation that the
absorbance maximum for an acidic solution of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 shifts from 465 nm to 595
nm when binding to protein occurs. Both hydrophobic and ionic interactions stabilize the anionic form of
the dye, causing a visible color change.

 What are the functional groups present in the “Coomassie Brilliant Blue G250” or the Bradford
dye?
 State the possible intermolecular forces of attractions that can exist when the Bradford dye
interacts with other molecules (i.e. proteins)
 What is Beer-Lambert’s Law and how is it used to quantify the concentration of certain
compounds?
 The table below describes a procedure in preparing standard solutions of a protein sample with
different concentrations. (A) Determine the concentrations of each tube if the starting
concentration of the protein is 500 mg mL-1. (B) Determine the equation of the line if the
concentration (x-axis) was plotted vs the absorbance (y-axis). (C) What is the concentration, in
mg mL-1, of an unknown protein (diluted) sample if the absorbance at 595 nm is 0.333?

1. What is the principle behind the determination of protein concentration via Bradford Method?

2. How are proteins quantified via this method?

3. What specific amino acids interacts with the Bradford reagent?

4. Why is bovine serum albumin (BSA) frequently used as a standard?

5. Suggest at least two (2) other standards for Bradford assay and state its advantages and
disadvantages compared with BSA.

6. Why is the wavelength of 595 nm used in measuring the absorbance of the standards and samples?

7. Differentiate the color of the blank and the protein solutions when mixed with the Bradford reagent. Will
this difference in color affect the absorbance values generated? Explain.

8. Watch the video demo (Page 5 of this module) and determine the concentration of the unknown protein
sample. Include necessary computations (e.g. equation of the line).

1. explain the concepts behind Bradford Method in measuring protein concentration in a solution.
2. calculate the protein concentration of an unknown protein solution using the said method.
3. recognize the importance of Bradford method as a quantitative assay for protein determination.

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