Different cells make different proteins: a laboratory exercise illustrating tissue-specific protein expression in animals

All the cells of higher organisms have the same DNA but not the same proteins. Each type of specialised cell that forms a tissue has its own pattern of gene expression and, consequently, it contains a particular set of proteins that determine its function. Here, we describe a laboratory exercise addressed to undergraduate students that aims to reinforce the following concept: what makes cells different is they make different proteins. The students performed a denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) to separate the proteins extracted from different animal tissues, and then obtained and compared the corresponding protein profiles. In addition, the students performed a Western blot analysis to detect the presence or absence of a tissue-specific protein in the different tissue extracts. This laboratory exercise allowed students to understand the basis of the cell differentiation better and also provided them the opportunity to learn a variety of analytical laboratory techniques.