Strep-tag technology: simple protein purification
Worldwide, tons of proteins are produced in so-called fermenters by bacteria and other microorganisms on a daily basis in labs and production sites. However, separation and purification of the desired protein is costly and time consuming.
The Strep-tag technology invented by Prof. Dr Arne Skerra and Dr Thomas Schmidt at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt enables the separation and purification of a desired protein in a single step. The method works by attaching a short peptide sequence, the so-called strep-tag, to the protein during production. The tag has a high affinity to streptavidin, a well-established lab reagent. If the protein solution is then poured onto a purification column in which Strep-Tactin, a streptavidin analogue is bound to the column material, the desired protein is selectively separated.
