Dithiothreitol
Structural formula | |||||||||||||||||||
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Surname | Dithiothreitol, DTT | ||||||||||||||||||
other names |
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Molecular formula | C 4 H 10 O 2 S 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Brief description |
white solid with an unpleasant odor |
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properties | |||||||||||||||||||
Molar mass | 154.25 g mol −1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Physical state |
firmly |
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Melting point |
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solubility |
very good in water (1500 g l −1 at 20 ° C) |
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safety instructions | |||||||||||||||||||
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As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions . |
Dithiothreitol (DTT) is a chemical compound also called Cleland's reagent . It is formally derived from the sugar alcohol Threit or Threitol, which belongs to the structural type of threose . It occurs in two stereoisomers : the (2 S , 3 S ) -form ( 1 ) is derived from the D- threose, the (2 R , 3 R ) -form ( 2 ) from the L- threose.
DTT is used in protein biochemistry . It preserves proteins in the cell interior in their functional form by preventing the oxidation of sulfhydryl groups (SH-) to disulfide bridges by atmospheric oxygen . On the other hand, it can destroy the folding of proteins , the structure of which is stabilized by disulfide bridges, by reducing them. It is an important reagent in the sample buffer for SDS-PAGE and Western blotting .
The oxidation leads to the formation of an intramolecular disulfide bridge, which forms a six-membered ring. Thereby the oxidized form is energetically favored.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Entry on 1,4-Dimercapto-2,3-butanediol in the GESTIS substance database of the IFA , accessed on January 10, 2017(JavaScript required) .