Large-Scale Isolation of Mitochondrial Ribosomes From Mammalian Tissues

The preparation of mammalian mitochondrial ribosomes in sufficient quantities for biochemical studies is best done beginning with whole tissue rather than from cells in culture. This issue arises because of the low abundance of these ribosomes in cells, making their isolation a challenge. Crude mitochondrial preparations are made by differential centrifugation and are treated with digitonin to remove the outer membrane. This treatment also effectively removes most contamination by cytoplasmic ribosomes. Purification of mammalian mitochondrial ribosomes requires treatment with detergents to release the ribosomes from their association with the membrane. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation is used to separate the ribosomes from other large oligomeric complexes from this organelle.