Skd3 (encoded by human CLPB) is a mitochondrial AAA+ protein comprised of an N-terminal ankyrin-repeat domain and a C-terminal HCLR-clade nucleotide-binding domain. The function of Skd3 has long remained unknown due to challenges in purifying the protein to high quality and near homogeneity. Recently we described Skd3 as a human mitochondrial protein disaggregase that solubilizes proteins in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. This protocol overcomes the challenges associated with purifying Skd3 and allows for in depth in vitro study of Skd3 activity. Tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease is required in the purification of Skd3. Thus, we also describe how to purify high quality TEV protease for use in the purification of Skd3, other purification protocols, and in vitro assays requiring TEV

Cleavable Affinity Purification (Cl-AP) uses a tripartite system of Protein-A-Streptavidin beads and nanobodies, coupled with a biotinylated, thiol-cleavable linker, providing one-step affinity purification from lysates of tissues expressing tagged proteins. This technique allows fluorescent versions of mitotic protein complexes to be isolated intact from cells, for use in biophysical and microscopy-based assays, overcoming the traditional limitations of reductionist approaches. We have used this technique successfully to purify both GFP-tagged and mCherry-tagged proteins, and their interacting partners, expressed in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. Although we demonstrate the efficacy of the GFP-binding protein and RFP-binding protein nanobodies from Chromotek, in theory any antibody