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AAT Bioquest

Should I use cold or warm PBS washes when performing protein extraction?

Posted April 17, 2020


Answer

When performing protein extraction, cold PBS should be used instead of warm PBS. This is because cooling the cells down reduces cell shock and the activity of proteases which might degrade the protein of interest. Thus, it is important to not only use cold PBS for washing, but also to keep the samples cold during the rest of the extraction process, such as by using cold lysis buffer.

Additional resources

PBS (Phosphate Buffered Saline) (1X, pH 7.4) Preparation and Recipe

Buffers and Lab Consumables