One of the uses of DL-Dithiothreitol is as a reducing agent and deprotecting agent for thiolated DNA. The thiolated DNA terminal sulfur atom tends to form a dimer in solution, especially in the presence of oxygen. This dimerization greatly reduces the efficiency of some coupling reaction experiments (such as the immobilization of DNA in biosensors); while adding DL-Dithiothreitol to the DNA solution, the reaction can be removed for a period of time to reduce the dimerization of DNA. Chemical.
DL-Dithiothreitol is also often used for the reduction of disulfide bonds in proteins and can be used to prevent intramolecular or intermolecular disulfide bonds of proteins formed between cysteine in proteins. However, DL-Dithiothreitol often cannot reduce the disulfide bonds embedded in the protein structure (solvent unreachable). The reduction of such disulfide bonds often requires denaturation of the protein (heating at high temperature or adding a denaturant such as 6M guanidine hydrochloride, 8M). Urea or 1% SDS). On the contrary, according to the difference of the reduction rate of disulfide bonds in the presence of DL-Dithiothreitol, the degree of embedding can be judged.
Application areas of DL-Dithiothreitol
