Merck, I5513-5G, Imidazole

General description
Imidazole, also known as Glyoxalin, is an aromatic heterocyclic diazole and a key biological buffer with a pH range of 6.2 to 7.8 at 25°C. It has a wide range of applications in molecular biology, biochemistry, and proteomics. In proteomics, imidazole is essential for eluting histidine-tagged proteins from IMAC columns. It is a strong chelator of divalent cations, such as nickel and zinc, which disrupts the interaction between the His-tag and the metal ions. This allows for the efficient elution of purified proteins.

Furthermore, imidazole is indispensable for enhancing protein purity. It is widely used in preparing buffer solutions optimized for downstream purification columns. Imidazole solutions are also effective elution and washing agents throughout protein purification processes. Additionally, imidazole can be used for assays of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and reverse staining of SDS-PAGE gels for protein detection. Imidazole is a versatile and valuable reagent for a wide range of biological applications. It is an essential component of many buffers and is also used in protein purification and detection protocols.
Application
Excellent for buffers in the range of pH 6.2-7.8
Imidazole has been used

in the lysis, wash and elution buffer for the purification of histidine tagged Sonic Hedgehog(shh-N) protein
in elution buffer in stepwise gradient for the purification of histidine tagged aldo keto reductases using nickel affinity chromatography
as a component of homogenization buffer for the purification of phagosomal compartments from dendritic cells
as a binding buffer, wash buffer, and elution buffer in a study involving protein expression and purification of bioactive growth factors for use in cell culture and cellular agriculture

Biochem/physiol Actions
Imidazole derivatives have antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer functionality. It interacts with DNA and also binds to protein and stops cell division. It also acts as a microtubule destabilizing agents and inhibits topoisomerase and Cytochrome P450 Family 26 Subfamily A Member 1 (CYP26A1) enzymes. Imidazole based anticancer drug find applications in cancer chemotherapy. It is used as buffer component for purification of the histidine tagged recombinant proteins in immobilized metal-affinity chromatography (IMAC).
Features and Benefits
Suitable for Molecular Biology and Biochemical Research
Can be used as a Buffer component, for Protein separation
Free from DNase, NICKase, RNase, and Protease
Effective Buffering from pH 6.2 to 7.8 (25 °C) with a pKa of 6.9 (25 °C)

Other Notes
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