Blue Dextrans

Bearing Cibacron Blue F3G-A, blue dextran is used in affinity chromatography and protein chromatography allowing for the identification of proteins (purified or in crude cellular extracts), and improving the purification procedures for various proteins (1), as well as in gel chromatography as molecular weight markers for determining molecular size in each fraction and void volume. These steps are very important to validate fractionation in gel chromatography.  In addition, blue dextran was found to bind to pyruvate kinase 1, and this observation enabled the purification of a whole series of proteins and essentially brought the use of textile dyes in protein purification to the fore (2).  The blue dextrans now extend the range of applications for studies on lysosomal activity (3), endothelial cell permeability (4), bovine sperm permeability (5), cornea permeability (6), flow studies in lung (7-9), cerebro permeability (10-12), binding of proteins and enzymes to Blue-dextran (13-15).
 

Blue Dextrans

Cibacron Blue 3G-A

References

1. S. Thompson, K. Cass, E. Stellwagen, Blue dextran-sepharose: an affinity column for the dinucleotide fold in proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 72, 669-72 (1975).
2. I. Wilson, E. Adlard, M. Cooke & C. Poole, Encyclopedia of Separation Science. (Academic Press, 2000).
3. D.M.Wolfe, J.H.Lee, A.Kumar et al., Autophagy failure in Alzheimer’s disease and the role of defective lysosomal acidification, Eur.J.Neurosci 37(12), 1949-61 (2013).
4. C. Waters, J. Alexander, T. Harris, F. Haselton, Perilla ketone increases endothelial cell monolayer permeability in vitro. J Appl Physiol (1985) 74, 2493-501 (1993).
5. P.K.Schoff and N.L.First, Stimulation of bovine cell motility by the triazine dye cibacron blue F3GA, Mol.Reprod.dev., 42(1), 65-71 (1995). 
6. R. Robbins, M. Galin, A model for steroid effects in herpes keratitis. Arch Ophthalmol 93, 828-30 (1975).
7. S. Ballard, J. Gatzy, Volume flow across the alveolar epithelium of adult rat lung. J Appl Physiol (1985) 70, 1665-76 (1991).
8. S. Cassin, Effect of indomethacin on fetal lung liquid formation. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 62, 157-9 (1984).
9. R. Pfister, C. Ramsden, H. Neil, M. Kyriakides, P. Berger, Errors in estimating lung liquid volume in fetal lambs when using radiolabeled serum albumin and blue dextran. J Appl Physiol (1985) 87, 2366-74 (1999).
10. C.E.Johanson, Age related decrease in A-Beta Peptide clearance pathways: CSF and BBB, RePORTER (Database NIH),
11. S. Prabhu, W. Broaddus, G. Gillies, W. Loudon, Z. Chen, B. Smith, et al., Distribution of macromolecular dyes in brain using positive pressure infusion: a model for direct controlled delivery of therapeutic agents. Surg Neurol 50, 367-75 (1998).
12. L. Bito, H. Davson, J. Hollingsworth, Facilitated transport of prostaglandins across the blood-cerebrospinal fluid and blood-brain barriers. J Physiol 256, 273-85 (1976).
13. S. Reshma, N. Sathyanarayanan, H. Nagendra, Characterization of hypothetical protein VNG0128C from Halobacterium NRC-1 reveals GALE like activity and its involvement in Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism. J Biomol Struct Dyn 33, 1743-55 (2015).
14. G. Staal, J. Koster, H. Kamp, M. van, C. Veeger, Human erythrocyte pyruvate kinase. Its purification and some properties. Biochim Biophys Acta 227, 86-96 (1971).
15. A. Swart, H. Hemker, Separation of blood coagulation factors II, VII, IX and X by gel filtration in the presence of dextran blue. Biochim Biophys Acta 222, 692-5 (1970).