For cells grown in tissue culture, the most useful method of lysis is treating with detergents, as described in this method or protocol. Non-ionic detergents, such as NP-40, solubilize the plasma and intracellular membranes, break many weak intermolecular bonds, and solubilize most of the commonly studied protein antigens. RIPA lysis buffer may be used as a more rigorous extraction buffer to release all but the insoluble proteins of the cell and to break most weak noncovalent interactions.

Protocol: Lysing Tissue-Culture Cells for Immunoprecipitation Protocol