scholarly journals Evidence for interactions between the 30 kDa N- and 50 kDa C-terminal tryptic fragments of human lactotransferrin

1986 ◽  
Vol 236 (3) ◽  
pp. 839-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Legrand ◽  
J Mazurier ◽  
J P Aubert ◽  
M H Loucheux-Lefebvre ◽  
J Montreuil ◽  
...  

Gel filtration of a mild tryptic digest of diferric human lactotransferrin carried out in presence of 10% (v/v) acetic acid led to the isolation of two fragments, an N-terminal tryptic fragment having an Mr of 30,000 and a C-terminal tryptic fragment having an Mr of 50,000 [Legrand, Mazurier, Montreuil & Spik (1984) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 787, 90-96]. Both fragments possess a degree of organization lower than that of the native protein, as shown by the decrease of about 30% of the alpha-helical content observed by c.d. The two fragments are able to re-associate in neutral solutions, as shown by the isolation, by gel chromatography, of a re-associated 80 kDa N,C-tryptic complex having the chromatographic behaviour of the native lactotransferrin. Computer-based comparison of the measured c.d. spectrum of the mixture of N-tryptic and C-tryptic fragments (molar ratio 1:1) with the spectrum calculated by assuming one molecule of each fragment, shows that the alpha-helix content of lactotransferrin is restored. These results strongly suggest the existence of non-covalent and reversible interactions between the two lobes of lactotransferrin. In addition it was demonstrated that short peptide segments (residues 19-24, 45-58 and 264-276) are involved in the secondary-structure modifications referred to above.

1971 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Brandt ◽  
Helen Muir

Protein–polysaccharides of knee-joint cartilage of 9-month-old pigs were extracted sequentially with neutral iso-osmotic sodium acetate after five repeated homogenizations. One-third of the uronic acid originally present in the tissue was brought into solution, about half being in the first extract. The protein–polysaccharides, which were purified by precipitation with 9-aminoacridine, were heterogeneous in size on gel chromatography. The smallest (retarded by 6% agarose) were the most easily extracted since they were most prevalent in the initial extracts and absent from later ones, whereas the proportion of larger molecules increased progressively in successive extracts. Nevertheless a small proportion of the largest molecules (excluded from Sepharose 2B) was present even in the first extract. None of the protein–polysaccharide preparations contained hydroxyproline, and the analyses of their constituent sugars were the same, although there was a progressive increase in the protein content and in the glucosamine/galactosamine molar ratio of successive extracts. In each preparation this molar ratio was invariably greater in larger than in smaller molecules separated by gel filtration. From galactosamine/pentose molar ratios it appeared that the chondroitin sulphate chains were on average about 29 disaccharide units in length in the protein–polysaccharides of each extract, although gel-chromatography and cetylpyridinium chloride elution profiles showed that a somewhat higher proportion of shorter chondroitin sulphate chains occurred in the larger protein–polysaccharides. In the last extract, where the largest molecules predominated, about half could be reversibly dissociated by urea, whereas this had no effect on the protein–polysaccharides of earlier extracts even though these contained some large molecules.


1990 ◽  
Vol 63 (03) ◽  
pp. 499-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Electricwala ◽  
L Irons ◽  
R Wait ◽  
R J G Carr ◽  
R J Ling ◽  
...  

SummaryPhysico-chemical properties of recombinant desulphatohirudin expressed in yeast (CIBA GEIGY code No. CGP 39393) were reinvestigated. As previously reported for natural hirudin, the recombinant molecule exhibited abnormal behaviour by gel filtration with an apparent molecular weight greater than that based on the primary structure. However, molecular weight estimation by SDS gel electrophoresis, FAB-mass spectrometry and Photon Correlation Spectroscopy were in agreement with the theoretical molecular weight, with little suggestion of dimer or aggregate formation. Circular dichroism studies of the recombinant molecule show similar spectra at different pH values but are markedly different from that reported by Konno et al. (13) for a natural hirudin-variant. Our CD studies indicate the presence of about 60% beta sheet and the absence of alpha helix in the secondary structure of recombinant hirudin, in agreement with the conformation determined by NMR studies (17)


1984 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 690-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Fischer ◽  
G Uhlenbruck ◽  
P J Klein ◽  
M Vierbuchen ◽  
R Fischer

Using affinity chromatography on HPA-, PNA-, Con A, and WGA-agarose columns only a part (10-30%) of the high molecular weight mucous glycoproteins could be isolated from the Triton X-100 solubilized components of normal as well as carcinomatous gastric mucosa. The main part of the mucus was not bound by the lectins, which corresponds to our earlier lectin histochemical observations on paraffin-embedded tissue sections. The lectin-bound mucous glycoproteins had a relatively lower molecular weight, ranging from about 250-1,000 kilodaltons, as indicated by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis and by gel filtration on Biogel A 1.5 m column. In gas chromatographic analysis the molar ratio of aminohexoses to galactose was found to be much higher (3:1) in the lectin-bound mucous substances than in the whole high molecular weight mucus (1:1). This finding indicates that lectins have a higher affinity to the hexosamine rich components of mucus, which may be special forms of mucous glycoprotein molecules or the incompletely glycosylated core and backbone regions of the oligosaccharide chains of mucus. Extremely high hexosamine values (10:1) were found in the PNA isolated mucus of gastric adenocarcinoma. Since it is known that PNA binds to the terminal disaccharide, beta-galactose-(1-3)-N-acetylgalactosamine, which is localized at the reducing end of the oligosaccharide chains of mucus, it is highly probable that the elongation of the oligosaccharide side chains is disturbed in gastric cancer cells.


1988 ◽  
Vol 253 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Domenicucci ◽  
H A Goldberg ◽  
T Hofmann ◽  
D Isenman ◽  
S Wasi ◽  
...  

Osteonectin, extracted from foetal porcine calvariae with 0.5 M-EDTA, was purified to homogeneity by using gel filtration and polyanion anion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography under dissociative conditions without the need of reducing agents. The purified protein migrated with an Mr of 40,300 on SDS/polyacrylamide gels and was similar to bovine osteonectin in both amino acid composition and in its ability to bind to hydroxyapatite in the presence of 4 M-guanidinium hydrochloride (GdmCl). However, unlike the bovine protein, porcine osteonectin did not bind selectively to hydroxyapatite when EDTA tissue extracts were used. In addition, purified porcine osteonectin did not show any apparent affinity for either native or denatured type I collagen, but did bind to serum albumin. Primary sequence analysis revealed an N-terminal alanine residue, with approximately one-half of the subsequent 35 residues identified as small hydrophobic amino acids and one-quarter as acidic amino acids. The only significant difference between the N-terminal sequences of the bovine and porcine proteins was the deletion of the tripeptide Val-Ala-Glu in porcine osteonectin. In contrast with bovine osteonectin, far-u.v.c.d. of porcine osteonectin revealed considerable secondary structure, of which 27% was alpha-helix and 39% was beta-sheet. Cleavage of the molecule with CNBr under non-reducing conditions generated five fragments, of which two major fragments (Mr 27,900 and 12,400) stained blue with Stains All, a reagent that stains sialic-acid-rich proteins/phosphate-containing proteins and/or Ca2+-binding proteins blue while staining other proteins pink. The 12,400-Mr fragment bound 45Ca2+ selectively, indicating a Ca2+-binding site in this part of the molecule. The 27,900-Mr fragment did not bind Ca2+, and since biosynthetic studies with 32PO4(3-) did not show phosphorylation of porcine osteonectin, this fragment is likely to be highly acidic. The incomplete cleavage of the molecule with CNBr and the ability of the molecule to regain its secondary structure after exposure to 7 M-urea are features consistent with the molecule having a compact structure that is stabilized by numerous disulphide bridges. The chemical and binding properties of porcine osteonectin are closely similar to the recently described ‘culture shock’, SPARC and BM-40 proteins, indicating that these are homologous proteins.


1980 ◽  
Vol 191 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
R G Sutcliffe ◽  
B M Kukulska-Langlands ◽  
J R Coggins ◽  
J B Hunter ◽  
C H Gore

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) has been purified by a combination of methods including antibody-affinity chromatography. The resultant protein, obtained in 16% yield from maternal serum, appeared as a single major component on non-denaturing polyacrylamide and SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protein showed a single component when analysed by isoelectric focusing under denaturing conditions in the presence and absence of reduction and had a pI of 4.34 and 4.42 respectively. These pI values were indistinguishable from those of alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M). The molecular weight of the PAPP-A polypeptide as shown by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis was 187000, with a minor component of mol.wt. 82500 that was attributed to proteolysis. Since native PAPP-A had a molecular weight on gel chromatography very similar to that of alpha 2M (620000–820000), it was concluded that PAPP-A was a homotetramer. In the absence of reduction, a high-molecular-weight (420000) protomer of PAPP-A was found. It was deduced that PAPP-A, like alpha 2M, is a dinner, whose protomers are composed of disulphide-linked polypeptide chains. It was found that the molecular weight of the PAPP-A polypeptide exceeded that of alpha 2M by 3.3%, but that the total carbohydrate content of PAPP-A exceeded that of alpha 2M by 10% and that its neutral carbohydrate content exceeded that of alpha 2M by between 7.4 and 9.0%. The significance of the estimated molecular weights of alpha 2M (181000) and its major tryptic fragments is discussed in the light of published values. A tryptic fragment alpha 2M (82500 mol.wt.) was apparently the same size as the major tryptic fragment of PAPP-A.


1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1273-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z Chen ◽  
A Prestigiacomo ◽  
T A Stamey

Abstract We describe for the first time a protocol to purify to apparent homogeneity an in vitro-prepared complex of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) by using a combination of gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The purity of the PSA-ACT complex was confirmed by gel electrophoresis and Western blot. The PSA-ACT complex was stable in the pH range 6.0 to 7.8; it was also stable in various matrices, temperatures, and high concentrations of salt. Purification of the PSA-ACT complex was highly reproducible. An absorptivity of 0.99 L x g-1 x cm-1 at 280 nm was assigned to the PSA-ACT complex, based on amino acid analysis. Because PSA and ACT bind in a 1:1 molar ratio, we determined the molecular mass of the PSA-ACT complex as the mass encoded by the cDNA of ACT (plus 26% carbohydrate) plus the molecular mass of PSA (28,430 Da), which totals 89,280 Da. Using this material, we made two common calibrators, one of 100% PSA-ACT complex and one of 90% PSA-ACT complex plus 10% free PSA by volume (90:10 calibrator). Substitution of these calibrators for the manufacturers' calibrators in nine commercial immunoassays substantially reduced differences between immunoassays, especially for serum PSA values between 4 and 10 micrograms/L. The 90:10 calibrator is recommended as a universal calibrator for international standardization of PSA immunoassays.


2000 ◽  
Vol 164 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Norman ◽  
MM Buchholz ◽  
AA Somogyi ◽  
F Amato

The availability of recombinant human chorionic gonadotrophin (r-hCG) has allowed us to measure its metabolic and renal clearance rates and to study the origin of the beta core fragment of hCG (hCGbetacf). Serum and urine samples were collected from six subjects, after an intravenous injection of 2 mg (equivalent to 44 000 IU Urinary hCG) r-hCG, and assayed for hCG and the beta subunit (hCGbeta). Urine from four of the subjects was also subjected to gel chromatography and assayed for hCGbetacf and hCG. r-hCG, administered as an intravenous dose, was distributed, initially in a volume of 3.4+/-0.7 l (mean+/-s.d.) and then in 6.5+/-1.15 l at steady-state. The disappearance of r-hCG from serum was bi-exponential, with an initial half-life of 4.5+/-0.7 h and a terminal half-life of 29.0+/-4.6 h. The mean residence time was 28. 6+/- 3.6 h and the total systemic clearance rate of r-hCG was 226+/-18 ml/h. The renal clearance rate was 28.75+/-6.2 ml/h (mean+/-s.d). hCGbetacf was detected in all urine samples collected at 6 h intervals. Over the 138 h period of urine collection, 12.9% (range 10.1-17.3% ) of r-hCG injected was recovered as the intact molecule and 1.7% (range 0.8-2.9%) was recovered as the hCGbetacf, in 4 subjects. The molar ratio of hCGbetacf to hCG in urine increased from 3.1+/-1.7%, on day 1, to 76+/-34.3% (mean+/-s.e.m.) on day 5, after r-hCG infusion, suggesting that hCGbetacf is a metabolic product of the infused r-hCG.


1987 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Coppen ◽  
N. T. Davies

1. Weanling male rats were maintained on diets containing 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 or 160 mg zinc/kg for 14 d. On day 15 they received 65Zn either by intraperitoneal injection or in a test meal containing 20 mg Zn/kg. After dosing, the rats were again maintained on the diets they had received previously.2. Whole-body 65Zn retention was measured immediately after dosing and daily for a further 9 d. From regression analysis of the semi-logarithmic plots of 65Zn retention from 0 to 192 h after 65Zn administration, the true extent of 65Zn absorption and the biological half-life (t1/2) of body 65Zn stores were calculated.3. At the end of the experiment, the rats were killed and the entire small intestines of some rats from each group were rapidly flushed out to remove food and faecal residues, frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored under an atmosphere of N2 at –20° before separation of cytosolic Zn-binding fractions by gel filtration on Sephadex G–75.4. The results suggest that rats which received diets that were either deficient(5 mg Zn/kg), marginal (10 mg Zn/kg) or adequate (20–80 mg Zn/kg) in Zn achieved homeostatic regulation of body Zn by changes in both the extent of Zn absorption and excretion. However, when Zn supply was excessive, increasing from 80 to 160 mg Zn/kg, no further changes were seen in Zn absorption, and homeostatic control appeared to be effected entirely by changes in rates of body Zn loss.5. Gel chromatography of intestinal cytosol on Sephadex G-75 revealed that Zn was associated with two major fractions. The first (peak 1) had a molecular weight (MW) > 75 kdaltons and the second (peak 2), a MW of approximately 10 kdaltons and was assumed to be metallothionein.6. There was no obvious relation between the amount of Zn bound to peak 1 and dietary Zn content. In contrast, the amount of Zn recovered in peak 2 increased linearly with increasing dietary Zn content.7. Comparisons between the effect of dietary Zn content on Zn bound to peak 2 and 65Zn retention may, depending on the range of Zn intakes, indicate possible roles for intestinal metallothionein in the control of Zn absorption or excretion.8. A study of the effects of dietary dose of 65Zn on the extent of 65Zn absorption in rats of normal Zn status indicated a possible biphasic relation. At low doses (5–40 mg Zn/kg) 65Zn absorption appeared to exhibit a curvilinear response to increasing 65Zn dose, indicating possibly a saturable process. At higher doses (40–160 mg Zn/kg) the capacity of this process appeared to be exceeded and 65Zn absorption increased in a linear fashion.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 881-887
Author(s):  
Timos Valaes ◽  
Marilyn Hyte

The bilirubin titration point-the lowest bilirubin concentration at which loosely bound bilirubin could be demonstrated by Sephadex gel filtration-was determined in samples collected before, during, and on completion of 17 exchange transfusions as well as in the discarded and donor blood. The bilirubin titration point expressed either as bilirubin concentration or as bilirubin/albumin molar ratio failed to be increased by the exchange transfusion and, in each case at the end of the procedure, the titration point was below the expected level, assuming that the donor albumin was going to retain its binding properties in the infant's circulation. The bilirubin titration point was also depressed in the discarded blood, and the depression was inversely related to the amount of bilirubin removed by the exchange transfusion (expressed as mg/kg of body weight/mg of initial bilirubin concentration). These results are interpreted as an indication that interfering substances are responsible for the decreased binding of bilirubin in newborn, particularly preterm, infants. In practical terms the criteria for a repeat exchange transfusion should be the same as for the initial one, as no change in the bilirubin binding properties of the serum is likely to occur following exchange transfusion.


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