Capillary electrophoresis as a tool for a cost-effective assessment of the activity of plant membrane enzyme chlorophyllase.

The potential of the capillary electrophoresis-based enzymatic assay has been demonstrated in case of a typical plant membrane enzyme - chlorophyllase. An efficient, automated and rapid semi-quantitative method has been developed, which allowed us to assess the activity of the enzyme via two strategies. Firstly, a reaction conducted in a vial placed directly on the sample tray was combined with the concomitant separation and detection of reagents. The method was used to monitor the reaction progress. Secondly, an on-line approach was applied by using an electrophoretically mediated mixing. The reaction was performed in-capillary, resulting in an extreme reduction of the reagent amounts required for a single run. Both methods were effective in the assessment of the activity of a membrane enzyme, a member of protein class known to pose experimental difficulties.