Screening for Manganese-Binding Proteins in the Mouse Brain

Jacqueline A. Gleave¹, Brian J. Nieman¹

This study aims at identifying candidate proteins that sequester Mn2+ in manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI). We isolated proteins from 5 regions of the mouse brain and used native protein electrophoresis to separate proteins/protein complexes. The gel was soaked in MnCl2 and proteins/protein complexes that bind Mn2+ were identified on the MR image of the gel. The bands were extracted for protein identification by mass spectrometry. This is the first step in narrowing down which protein/protein complexes interact with Mn2+.