Extraction methods for analysis of oil palm leaf and root proteins by twodimensional gel electrophoresis

Oil palm (elaeis guineensis jacq.) is an important crop in malaysia,and as such,it has become the second largest export earner for the country. this study ventured into developing suitable gel-based proteomics methods for specific oil palm tissues with the aim of understanding its biological systems. an optimal procedure for extraction of proteins from oil palm root and leaf tissues was developed through evaluations and modifications of three existing methods. the tca/acetone,phenol/ammonium acetate and chloroform/ acetone protein extraction approaches were tested on the root and leaf tissues of oil palm. the total protein yields and resulting 2-dge protein spot profiles revealed that tca/acetone method is the most effective approach for both tissues. thus,tca/acetone method will be used to produce total proteins for downstream analyses by mass spectrometry.