A rapid and sensitive method for the direct detection of multiple forms of proteolytic enzymes by starch gel electrophoresis is described. The location of the enzyme components is identified by the degradation of hemoglobin which is included in the starch gel. This method was used to identify the enzyme components of the 10 commercial proteolytic enzymes bromelain, chymotrypsin, ficin, papain, pepsin, pronase B, protease, proteinase, and two preparations of trypsin. The effects of urea concentration and the ionic strength of aluminium lactate buffer were also examined. The best results were obtained with 3 M urea and with an ionic strength of 0.1 for the lactate buffer. It was observed that the number of enzyme components decreased with increasing concentrations of urea or increasing ionic strength of lactate buffer. The number of enzyme components did not always correspond to the number of protein bands. Self-digestion occurred in some of the protein bands in the starch gel after electrophoretic separation of the proteolytic enzymes.
1. A collagenase digest of rat kidney cortex was separated into four bands by zonal centrifugation. 2. Two of these bands were shown by light-microscopy to contain glomeruli and tubular fragments, which were free from each other and well separated from other renal material. 3. Protein, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, 5′-nucleotidase, l-leucine β-naphthylamidase, leucine aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase were assayed across the gradient. 4. The greater proportion of these enzyme activities was recovered in the tubular fragments and acid phosphatase was the only enzyme detected in significant amounts in the glomeruli. 5. Tubular fragments and glomeruli were sedimented and multiple forms of β-naphthylamidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase were investigated by starch-gel electrophoresis.
Comparison has been made of the effect of alloxan-diabetes on the multiple forms of hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.1) in adipose tissue and lung. Types I and II hexokinase were distinguished in adipose tissue by their different stabilities to heat treatment, which made it possible to determine the activity of each form spectrophotometrically; additional confirmatory evidence was obtained from starch-gel electrophoresis. Type II hexokinase was markedly depressed in adipose tissue from alloxan-diabetic rats. Lung contained types I, II and III hexokinase, type I predominating. There was no significant change in the pattern of these multiple forms of hexokinase in lung from alloxan-diabetic rats. These results are discussed in relation to current ideas that the insulin-sensitivity of a tissue may be correlated with the content of type II hexokinase.
SummaryWhen urea or ε-amino caproic acid were used as solublizing agents for plasminogen in electrophoretic experiments, only one broad band of the proenzyme was obtained on acetate cellulose, in starch block, and in acrylamide gel. In starch gel electrophoresis, however, both forms of plasminogen – the native or euglobulin and Kline’s or Pseudoglobulin plasminogen – separated into six bands. These migrated toward the cathode at room temperature in borate or veronal buffer in the alkaline range and showed full activity in fibrinagar-streptokinase plates.
ABSTRACT
The isozymic patterns of tyrosine aminotransferase, NADP malate dehydrogenase, NADP isocitrate dehydrogenase, and tetrazolium oxidase were examined by starch-gel electrophoresis in Tetrahymena pyriformis, syngen 1. The genetics of the alleles controlling these enzymes was studied through a breeding program. Each enzyme locus was shown to assort vegetatively, as do other loci in this organism. A detailed analysis of the assortment process for the tyrosine aminotransferase locus indicated that the rate of stabilization of heterozygotes into pure types was essentially identical to previously-reported rates for other loci.
By varying conditions of starch gel electrophoresis, factors contributing to the resolution of myogen proteins from chicken breast muscle have been studied. Variables examined included composition of the myogen extractant, protein concentration, ionic strength of electrophoretic media, pH of gel media, plane and direction of electrophoresis, and the nature of cations and anions in gel media and bridge solutions. The significance of anions was more closely studied with constant buffer systems, and gradient systems in which bridge electrolyte differed from, and gradually altered, the gel medium. Optimal separation was obtained in gradient systems with 0.10 M sodium chloride bridge solutions, and gel media of sodium cacodylate, pH 6.9, μ 0.010, which resolved 12 cationic zones, and sodium veronal, pH 7.4, μ 0.010, which resolved 10 anionic zones. These buffers in two-dimensional sequence revealed a total of about 24 components in this myogen.
Examination of 17 presumptive gene loci by starch-gel electrophoresis revealed differential mobilities only at acid phosphatase-1, alcohol dehydrogenase, esterase-1, and phosphoglucomutase between Nocomis biguttatus and N. micropogon. No intraspecific variation was observed for any loci. The genetic identity (I) and genetic distance (D) were 0.874 and 0.134, respectively. The correlation of electrophoretic mobilities and nuptial tubercle pattern in sexually dimorphic males supports the present taxonomic distinction of these species and provides a simple, unambiguous means of identifying any individuals.Stepwise discriminant function analysis of a series of mensural characters was used to compare fish identified as to species by electrophoresis. At best this correctly assigned fish to their respective species in 85.7% of cases, with a probability of misclassification of 0.1335.This study suggests these two are sibling species, based on a comparison of biochemical and morphological differentiation.
The distribution of some hydrolases in glomeruli and tubular fragments prepared from rat kidney by zonal centrifugation