The compounds and methods described herein generally relate to non-ionic acid-labile surfactants and methods of use.
Proteomics is the study of the structure and function of proteins and other molecules in biological systems. Some purification and identification techniques used in proteomics require the proteins and other molecules to be solubilized in an aqueous environment. Most proteins and other hydrophobic molecules or molecules with significant hydrophobic regions, however, are not readily soluble in an aqueous environment. A surfactant or detergent may generally be used to facilitate the solubilization of proteins and other molecules in an aqueous environment.
Cleavable surfactants have been successfully used to facilitate the solubilization of proteins and other molecules in an aqueous environment. Cleavable surfactants may generally comprise a polar (hydrophilic) group joined by a cleavable linker to a non-polar (hydrophobic) group. Cleavable surfactants may be cleaved or degraded by utilizing acidic conditions, basic conditions, photodegradation, thermal degradation, or chemical reduction. The cleavage by-products may be separated from the proteins or other molecules using standard isolation techniques. Conventional non-ionic cleavable surfactants, however, may generally comprise chemical structures that are complex to synthesize, require harsh conditions (e.g., pH 1-2) or long periods of time (up to several hours) to cleave, and/or generate cleavage by-products that interfere with purification and identification techniques.
Accordingly, more efficient non-ionic cleavable surfactants and methods of use are desirable.