General description

• 1,4-Dithiothreitol (DTT or Cleland's reagent) reduces disulfide bonds in proteins, leading to loss of native conformation
• DTT is not stable in solution and should be prepared in small aliquots prior to use; the use of EDTA in the solution can increase the half-life of DTT
• Typically used at a final concentration of 0.1M for protein stabilization; recommended to create a 1M stock

Applications

• Protects thiol groups from oxidation and acts as a chemical chelator in solution; maintains proteins in the denatured state
• Common applications include SDS-page electrophoresis and protein isolation