Hydrostatic pressure in ultracentrifugation revisited

Standard analytical ultracentrifugation is able to generate a significant hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of a spinning cell. In effect, a pressure gradient is created along its axis which, at maximum angular speeds, can reach nearly 50 MPa (around 500 atm). This pressure is high enough to alter the properties of some specially sensitive biological systems. Although this phenomenon can lead to important mistakes if the possible effects of hydrostatic pressure are not duly considered, it is possible to study the effect of the moderately high pressures generated in ultracentrifugation on biological systems of interest, such as macromolecular complexes or protein assemblies.

Peer reviewed

Peer Reviewed

Country

Spain

Related Organizations

Spanish National Research Council
Spain

Keywords

Hydrostatic pressure, Ultracentrifugation, Protein denaturation

Impact byBIP!

	selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).	0
	popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.	Average
	influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).	Average
	impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.	Average