Last updated: April 8 2004

Ref; Maehama et al. Anal. Biochem. 2000, 279, 175-176

Preparation of Malachite Green Reagent:

 

Prepare 100ml, can store filtered solution for up to 6 months at 4¡C. use fresh millipored water.

 

Combine

25ml of 4.2% (w/v) ammonium molybdate in 4M HCl

with

75ml of 0.045%(w/v) malachite green solution (BDH stock solution is 0.5%, 9ml in 100ml -> 0.045%).

Stir for at least 30 minutes (donÕt miss this out, it is important), filter through 0.22µm syringe filter.

You get a green solution which on filtering is amber.

 

Add Tween, 0.01% v/v, to an aliquot just before use.

 

Lipid phosphatase assay:

The original assay buffer used by the Dixon lab is

50mM Sodium Acetate,

25mM bis.Tris

25mM Tris (pH 6.0)

2mM DTT

 

we use

ASSAY BUFFER

20mM HEPES (pH 7.2)

100mM KCl

1µM ZnCl2

2mM DTT (added fresh)

 

 

For long chain lipids:

Add lipid stock solutions to a 1.5ml eppendorf tube. Add 5µl lipid stock (2500pmol) per experimental point, 1 tube per point. Remember PI lipids are expensive. We normally use a configuration of pure PI lipids, it is possible to supplement this with an excess with more abundant lipids which would probably remove any artefacts that may be due to lipid packing, but requires sonication or extrusion to produce unilamellar vesicles.

        

 

Dry lipid on the centrifugal vacuum dryer (G11).

 

Resuspend in assay buffer (50µl per point) using shaker for 20 minutes.

 

Add ENZYME (this is normally a small volume relative to reaction volume e.g 5µl).

 

Incubate at room temperature for given time with gentle shaking.

 

Stop reaction by addition of 15µl of 100mM NEM- this is optional as IÕm pretty sure the malachite green reagent stops the reaction.

 

Add 2 volumes of malachite green solution per volume of assay supernatant.

 

Transfer 100µl to well of 96 well plate. Measure absorbance at 650nm using the plate reader in G07.

make sure that you have control points. Best control is probably adding enzyme to lipid sample after malachite green reagent.

When using soluble short chain lipids, the assay is conducted in the 96 well plate.