Insight into protein-protein interactions from analytical ultracentrifugation

Analytical ultracentrifugation is a free solution technique with no supplementary immobilization, columns or membranes required, and can be used to study self-association and hetero-interactions, stoichiometry, reversibility and interaction strength across a very large dynamic range (dissociation constants from 10(-12) M to 10(-1) M). In the present paper, we review some of the advances that have been made in the two different types of sedimentation experiment - sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity - for the analysis of protein-protein interactions and indicate how major complications such as thermodynamic and hydrodynamic non-ideality can be dealt with.