Protein expression is tightly regulated for normal functioning of a cell or organism. To understand protein structure and function in detail, they often need to be separated from other cellular components (lipids, nucleic acids, sugars, etc.) and isolated to homogeneity. After recovering a protein to near homogeneity, it should retain all its native biological characteristics of structure and activity. To achieve this objective, one needs to take into account the physical and chemical property of proteins (size, charge, solubility, hydrophobicity, precipitation, etc.). These common characteristics of the protein can be exploited to separate it from other components of the cell. With the introduction of recombinant DNA technology, protein purification technique has been enhanced and also simplified. Purification protocols vary, depending on the precise nature of the protein. General steps include (i) chromatography, (ii) precipitation and/or (iii) extraction.
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