Coacervation of Lipid Bilayer in Natural Cell Membranes for Extraction, Fractionation, and Enrichment of Proteins in Proteomics Studies.

This is the first report where hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) was used to induce the coacervation of lipid components in natural cell membranes that would concomitantly result in solubilization, extraction, and enrichment of hydrophobic proteins (e.g., integral membrane proteins, IMP) into the coacervate phase, and extraction of hydrophilic proteins in a separate aqueous phase.

Fluoroalcohol - Induced coacervates for selective enrichment and extraction of hydrophobic proteins.

As previously reported, fluoroalcohols can induce coacervation in aqueous solutions of amphiphilic compounds with subsequent formation of two-phase systems, where one phase is enriched in amphiphile and fluoroalcohol and the other is primarily an aqueous - rich phase. This study focuses on the use of simple coacervates made of a single component amphiphile induced by a fluoroalcohol for extraction and enrichment of proteins. 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) were used to induce coacervation in the aqueous solutions of a cationic amphiphile, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB).