What is the purpose of treating a protein with 2-mercaptoethanol?
A)To hydrolyze the protein into its amino acids.
B)To cleave the disulfide bonds.
C)To derivatize any free sulfhydryl groups to prevent them from reforming disulfide bonds.
D)To derivatize the N-terminal amino acid during the Edman degradation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

2-mercaptoethanol is a reducing agent that breaks down disulfide bonds in a protein. This can be useful in certain applications, such as protein purification or analysis, where it is desirable to break apart the protein into smaller, more manageable pieces.

What Is the Purpose of Treating a Protein with 2-Mercaptoethanol