Use of Ion Exchange and Lectin Chromatograpy To Fractionate Proteins from Carcinus maenus

Across many different species of crabs, it is notable that their shells have a high abundance of protein. For instance, the snow crab is 34.2% w/w of protein within its shell (Asunchion, et al., 2011.) And while the blue crab contains about 33.4% w/w protein within its shell (Lee et al 2017), the red crab contains about 16% w/w protein (Aklog 2016). Less is known about the European green crab, Carcinus maenus, which is a species found in Europe and North Africa. This organism has also invaded the coast of Maine. We have developed an acid extraction and acetone precipitation strategy for isolating proteins from the shells of the European green crab, Carcinus maenus. Typically, roughly 5 to 10 proteins are visible when this extract is analyzed by 12% SDS‐PAGE gel. In this study, cation and anion‐exchange resins, and lectin resins, were utilized to fractionate protein species based on their charge and glycoprotein content, respectively. This work reports on the progress of these studies. This work is of value to the study of bioactive materials present in shelled marine organisms.