Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(6)

Documents

P2636

Sigma-Aldrich

Poly-L-lysine hydrobromide

suitable for cell culture and bioconjugation, Mol wt 30,000-70,000

Synonym(s):

L-Lysine homopolymer hydrobromide

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

CAS Number:
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12352209
eCl@ss:
32160406
PubChem Substance ID:
NACRES:
NA.26

product name

Poly-L-lysine hydrobromide, mol wt 30,000-70,000

form

powder

mol wt

30,000-70,000

technique(s)

bioconjugation: suitable
cell culture | mammalian: suitable

impurities

<10% water (Karl Fischer)

color

white to faint yellow

solubility

water: 50 mg/mL, clear, colorless to light yellow (50 mg/mL, water, Clear, Colorless to light yellow
)

functional group

amine
carboxylic acid

storage temp.

−20°C

SMILES string

Cl.NCCCCC(N)C(O)=O

InChI

1S/C18H38N6O4/c19-10-4-1-7-13(22)16(25)23-14(8-2-5-11-20)17(26)24-15(18(27)28)9-3-6-12-21/h13-15H,1-12,19-22H2,(H,23,25)(H,24,26)(H,27,28)/t13-,14-,15-/m0/s1

InChI key

WBSCNDJQPKSPII-KKUMJFAQSA-N

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Poly-L-lysine serves as a versatile and indispensable component in cell culture and biochemical research. It plays a pivotal role in promoting cell adhesion to solid substrates by enhancing the electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged ions of cell membranes and the positively charged ions of attachment factors on culture surfaces. This facilitates a secure binding of cells to the substratum, making Poly-L-lysine highly recommended for cell culture applications.

Derived from the naturally occurring amino acid l-lysine, Poly-L-lysine is available in various forms, allowing for customization in terms of molecular weight and shape. As a synthetic positively charged polymer, it exists in two enantiomers, poly-D-lysine and poly-L-lysine, both of which have their unique applications.

In formulation research, Poly-L-lysine proves to be valuable in nucleic acid delivery. Its positive charge, attributed to the ε-amine on its side chain at physiological pH, enables it to condense plasmid DNA effectively based on salt concentration. While Poly-L-lysine appears suitable for gene delivery, unmodified versions have been associated with low transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity.

In conclusion, Poly-L-lysine offers a multifaceted solution in cell culture and formulation research, enhancing cell adhesion, enabling gene delivery, and contributing significantly to advancements in biochemical and cell biology research.

Application

Poly-L-lysine polymers can be used in promoting cell adhesion to solid substrates, conjugation to methotrexate for increased drug transport, microencapsulation of islets, cell microencapsulation technology, microarray glass slide coating, and chromosomal preparations. Lower molecular weight poly-L-lysine (30,000-70,000) is less viscuous in solution, but higher molecular weight versions provide more attachment sites per molecule.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Poly-L-lysine is a nonspecific attachment factor for cells useful in promoting cell adhesion to solid substrates by enhancing electrostatic interaction between negatively charged ions of the cell membrane and the culture surface. When it is absorbed to the cell culture surface, poly-L-lysine functions to increase the number of positively charged sites available for cell binding. With cells that can digest poly-L-lysine, poly-D-lysine should be used as the attachment factor.

Features and Benefits

  • Can be used in Metabolomics and Biochemical research
  • High-quality compound suitable for multiple research applications

Components

Poly-L-lysine is a positively charged amino acid polymer with approximately one HBr per lysine residue. The hydrobromide allows the poly-L-lysine to be in a crystalline form soluble in water. A small amount of product may be found in the beta structure because the HBr interferes with hydrogen bonding between amino and either the carboxyl groups or N or O containing moieties.

Caution

Sterile solutions are stable for up to 2 years when stored at 2-8°C. It should be stored desiccated at -20°C.

Preparation Note

This product has a molecular weight of 30,000-70,000. To remove the HBr, dissolve this product in a neutral buffer and dialyze to remove the salts. None of the poly-L-lysine products have been exposed to trifluoroacetic acid and are dialyzed to remove any monomers, dimmers, or trimers, confirmed by thin layer chromatography. In general, to use this product as an attachment factor, add 50 mL of sterile tissue culture grade water to 5 mg of poly-lysine, and aseptically coat the surface with 1 mL per 25 cm2 of solution. After 5 minutes, remove the solution through aspiration and thoroughly rinse the surface. Let dry for two hours before introducing cells and medium.

Analysis Note

Molecular weight based on viscosity and was also assayed by MALLS.

Other Notes

For additional information on our range of Biochemicals, please complete this form.

Storage Class Code

11 - Combustible Solids

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Rachel V Stadler et al.
Molecular biology of the cell, 28(14), 1912-1923 (2017-02-18)
Apicomplexa is a large phylum of intracellular parasites that are notable for the diseases they cause, including toxoplasmosis, malaria, and cryptosporidiosis. A conserved motile system is critical to their life cycles and drives directional gliding motility between cells, as well
Bas van Bommel et al.
The EMBO journal, 38(15), e101183-e101183 (2019-07-04)
Organelle positioning within neurites is required for proper neuronal function. In dendrites, with their complex cytoskeletal organization, transport of organelles is guided by local specializations of the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton, and by coordinated activity of different motor proteins. Here
Jumana Alhamdi et al.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 11(9) (2018-09-16)
Recently, the benefit of step-wise sequential delivery of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 from a bioinspired apatite drug delivery system on mouse calvarial bone repair was demonstrated. The thicknesses of the nanostructured poly-l-Lysine/poly-l-Glutamic acid polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM)
Lanfranco Leo et al.
Human molecular genetics, 26(12), 2321-2334 (2017-04-12)
Mutations of various genes cause hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a neurological disease involving dying-back degeneration of upper motor neurons. From these, mutations in the SPAST gene encoding the microtubule-severing protein spastin account for most HSP cases. Cumulative genetic and experimental
Ki-Young Chang et al.
Nature communications, 5, 4057-4057 (2014-06-05)
Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are a family of cell-surface receptors that have a key role in regulating critical cellular processes. Here, to understand and precisely control RTK signalling, we report the development of a genetically encoded, photoactivatable Trk (tropomyosin-related kinase)

Articles

Amino Acid Codon Wheel for fast RNA translation. Find which amino acid is translated from your RNA sequence quickly and easily.

Amino Acid Codon Wheel for fast RNA translation. Find which amino acid is translated from your RNA sequence quickly and easily.

Amino Acid Codon Wheel for fast RNA translation. Find which amino acid is translated from your RNA sequence quickly and easily.

Amino Acid Codon Wheel for fast RNA translation. Find which amino acid is translated from your RNA sequence quickly and easily.

See All

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service