Characterization of plasma membrane domains of mouse EL4 lymphoma cells obtained by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose

Purified plasma membranes of mouse EL₄ lymphoma cells were fractionated by means of affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose into two subfractions; one (MF1) eluted freely from the affinity column, the second (MF2) adhered specifically to Con A-Sepharose. Both membrane subfractions proved to be of plasma membrane origin, as evidenced by the following criteria. (i) The ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid was nearly identical in plasma membrane and both subfractions. (ii) When isolated plasma membranes were labelled with tritiated NaBH₄, both subfractions exhibited identical specific radioactivities. (iii) After enzymatic radioiodination of the cells, the total content of labelled proteins was very similar in isolated plasma membranes and in both subfractions. (iv) Some plasma membrane marker enzymes exhibited nearly identical specific activities in plasma membranes, MF1 or MF2 including γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, 5′-nucleotidase and Mg²⁺-ATPase. Both subfractions exhibited characteristic differences. Thus the specific activities of (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase, Ca²⁺-ATPase and lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase were several-fold enriched in MF2 compared to MF1. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a different polypeptide composition of the two subfractions. Polypeptides of apparent molecular mass of 116, 95, 42, 39, 30 and 28 kDa were highly enriched in MF2, whereas MF1 contained another set of proteins, of apparent molecular mass of 70, 55 and 24 kDa. The phospholipid fatty acid composition of the subfractions proved to be different, as well, MF2 contained more saturated fatty acids than MF1. The data suggest the existence of plasma membrane domains in the plasma membranes of the mouse EL₄ lymphoma cells, containing a set of polypeptides, among others membrane bound enzymes, embedded in a different phospholipid milieu.     

Characterization of functional domains of the lymphocyte plasma membrane

Highly purified plasma membranes of calf thymocytes were fractionated by means of affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose into two subfractions; one (fraction 1) eluted freely from the affinity column, the second (fraction 2) adhered specifically to concanavalin A-Sepharose. Previous analysis showed that both subfractions were right-side-out (Resch, K., Schneider, S. and Szamel, M. (1981) Anal. Biochem. 117, 282-292). The ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid was nearly identical in plasma membrane and both subfractions. When isolated plasma membranes were labelled with tritiated NaBH4, both subfractions exhibited identical specific radioactivities. After enzymatic radioiodination of thymocytes, the relative distribution of labelled proteins and externally exposed phospholipids was very similar in isolated plasma membranes and in both membrane subfractions, indicating the plasma membrane nature of the subfractions separated by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose. This finding was further substantiated by the nearly identical specific activities of some membrane-bound enzymes, Mg2+-ATPase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. The specific activities of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and of lysolecithin acyltransferase were several-fold enriched in fraction 2 compared to fraction 1, especially after rechromatography of fraction 1 on concanavalin A-Sepharose. Unseparated membrane vesicles contained two types of binding site for concanavalin A. In contrast, isolated subfractions showed a linear Scatchard plot; fraction 2 exhibited fewer binding sites for concanavalin A: the association constant was, however, 3.5-times higher than that measured in fraction 1. When plasma membranes isolated from concanavalin A-stimulated lymphocytes were separated by affinity chromatography, the yield of the two subfractions was similar to that of membranes from unstimulated lymphocytes. Upon stimulation with concanavalin A, Mg2+-ATPase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase were suppressed in their activities in both membrane subfractions. In contrast, the specific activities of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and lysolecithin acyltransferase were enhanced preferentially in the adherent fraction (fraction 2). The data suggest the existence of domains in the plasma membrane of lymphocytes which are formed by a spatial and functional coupling of receptors with high affinity for concanavalin A, and certain membrane-bound enzymes, implicated in the initiation of lymphocyte activation.     

Biosynthesis of glycerolipids by hepatoma and liver microsomes. I. Fatty acyl-CoA ligase and acyl-CoA:sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase

Highly purified plasma membranes of calf thymocytes were fractionated by means of affinity chromatography on ouabain-Sepharose. By the method used two subfractions were obtained, one eluting freely from the affinity gel (MF1oua) and a second specifically retained by matrix-bound ouabain (MF2oua), with a total recovery of 95 per cent. Fractionation required the binding of matrix-bound ouabain to its plasma membrane receptor, i.e. (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. Increasing the temperature and binding time did not significantly alter the fractionation of plasma membranes into the two subfractions. Both plasma membrane subfractions separated by ouabain-Sepharose were of plasma membrane origin, as revealed by the identical specific activities of several membrane bound enzymes, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase and Mg2+-ATPase in unseparated plasma membranes and in both subfractions, and by the identical amounts of the cytoskeletal protein actin in unseparated plasma membranes and subfractions. The plasma membrane subfractions MF1oua and MF2oua showed different structural and functional properties. In SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis polypeptides of 170, 150, 110, 94, 39, and 30 kDa were several-fold enriched in the adherent fraction, MF2oua. The phospholipid fatty acid composition of the plasma membrane subfractions proved to be different, as well. MF2oua contained significantly higher amounts of saturated fatty acids as compared to MF1oua. The specific activities of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase and lysolecithin acyltransferase were highly enriched in the adherent fraction MF2oua, as compared to MF1oua. The data suggest that by the means of affinity chromatography on ouabain-Sepharose plasma membrane domains of the lymphocyte plasma membrane can be isolated, most probably implicated in the initiation of lymphocyte activation.     

Separation of right-side-out-oriented subfractions from purified thymocyte plasma membranes by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-sepharose

A method is described for the subfractionation of plasma membranes from thymus lymphocytes by means of affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose. Thymus lymphocytes were disrupted by nitrogen cavitation, microsomal membranes isolated by differential centrifugation, and plasma membranes purified from microsomes by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. Plasma membranes were highly purified as indicated by marker enzymes and chemical analysis. To obtain membrane preparations suited for lectin-dependent affinity chromatography, sucrose was removed slowly by gradient dialysis. Plasma membranes were then equilibrated for 20 min at 4°C with concanavalin A-Sepharose, which allowed the separation of membranes into a fraction eluting freely (MF1) and a second fraction binding to the affinity absorbent (MF2), with a total recovery of about 90%. Increasing the temperature or binding time did not alter the fractionation of the plasma membrane into the two subfractions. Fractionation required the binding of matrix-bound concanavalin A to plasma membrane binding sites. Both plasma membrane subfractions proved to have preserved their original orientation (right-side out). The method described is suited to isolate different domains of the lymphocyte plasma membrane.     

ATP-dependent Ca2+ transport in vesicles isolated from the bile canalicular region of the hepatocyte plasma membrane

Three plasma membrane subfractions have been isolated and characterized from rat liver cells. The high affinity Ca2+-stimulated ATPase is highly enriched in the bile canalicular subfraction. Taking into account cross-contamination by the blood sinusoidal and lateral membranes it is suggested that the high-affinity Ca2+-ATPase is located exclusively in this fraction. The high-affinity Ca2+-ATPase is coupled to Ca2+ transport, is calmodulin-insensitive, sensitive to vanadate under appropriate experimental conditions and is strongly inhibited by La3+. In the presence of Ca2+ and ATP the ATPase forms a phosphorylated intermediate of molecular mass about 200 kDa.     

Fluidity characteristics of bovine thyroid plasma membranes

Highly purified plasma membranes of bovine thyroid were obtained by differential pelleting followed by discontinuous gradient centrifugation in a swing-out rotor. Subfractions of plasma membranes were prepared by affinity chromatography on Con A-Sepharose. The final membrane fractions were enriched 25-30-fold over homogenate in 5'-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphatase and displayed a protein to phospholipid ratio of 1.67 and a cholesterol to phospholipid molar ratio of 0.55. The phospholipid composition did not deviate appreciably from that of whole tissue except for the higher sphingomyelin level (22.5 vs. 14.0%). The predominant fatty acids were palmitic (16:0), oleic (18:1), stearic (18:0) and linoleic (18:2) acid. The physical state of the membrane was studied by (i) calculation of the lipid structural order parameter SDPH from steady-state fluorescence anisotropy determinations of the hydrophobic probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH); (ii) estimation of the lateral diffusion coefficient of pyrene following excimer formation. These parameters were determined in native thyroid plasma membranes and in reconstituted vesicles, obtained by detergent dialysis from octylglucoside solubilized membrane components. The presence of membrane protein or neutral lipids induced more restraint on the movements of the fluorophores. The lipid order parameter, SDPH was mainly determined by the neutral lipids. Subfractions of plasma membrane enriched in luminal membranes have a slightly lower fluidity (higher SDPH and lower Ddiff values) than subfractions enriched in basolateral membranes. This difference appears to be due to both differences in lipid as well as protein composition. Under physiological conditions, no significant alterations in probe dynamics could be observed upon addition of thyrotropin or cholera toxin, even at micromolar concentrations.     

Subcellular fractionation of pig stomach smooth muscle. A study of the distribution of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity in plasmalemma and endoplasmic reticulum

Isolated membrane vesicles from pig stomach smooth muscle (antral part) were subfractionated by a density gradient procedure modified in order to obtain an efficient extraction of extrinsic proteins. By using this method in combination with digitonin-treatment, an endoplasmic reticulum fraction contaminated with maximally 10 to 20% of plasma membranes was isolated, together with a plasma membrane fraction containing at most 30% endoplasmic reticulum. The endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane fractions differed in protein composition, reaction to digitonin, binding of wheat germ agglutinin, activities of marker enzymes and in the characteristics of the Ca2+ uptake. The Ca2+ uptake by the endoplasmic reticulum was much more stimulated by oxalate than the uptake by plasma membranes. Both fractions showed a (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity, but the largest amount of this enzyme was present in the plasma membranes. The study of the phosphorylated intermediates of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed two phosphoproteins one of 130 kDa and one of 100 kDa (Wuytack, F., Raeymaekers, L., De Schutter, G. and Casteels, R. (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 693, 45-52). The 130 kDa enzyme was predominant in the fraction enriched in plasma membrane whereas the distribution of the 100 kDa polypeptide correlated with the endoplasmic reticulum markers. The 130 kDa ATPase was the main 125I-calmodulin binding protein detected on nitrocellulose blots of proteins separated by gel electrophoresis. The (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity of the plasma membranes was higher than the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity, suggesting that the Ca2+ extrusion from these cells depends much more on the activity of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase than on Na+-Ca2+ exchange.     

Characteristics of the isolated apical plasmalemma and intracellular tubulovesicles of the gastric acid secreting cells: demonstration of secretagogue-induced membrane mobilization

Separation of the gradient-purified gastric microsome into two membrane subfractions of distinct enzymatic and phospholipid composition has been achieved by mild SDS (0.033% w/v) treatment followed by sucrose gradient centrifugation of the pig and rabbit gastric microsomes. While the high-density membranes had all of the (H+,K+)-ATPase and K+-pNPPase activities and revealed a single major 100-kDa band on SDS-PAGE, the low-density membranes contained all of the 5'-nucleotidase and nearly all of the Mg2+-ATPase. In the present study, the low-density subfraction has been characterized to be derived from the apical membranes and the high-density one from the intracellular tubulovesicular membranes of the parietal cells. Such characterization was based primarily on sole dependency of the apical plasma membranes on the endogenous activator for (H+,K+)-ATPase activity, differential sensitivity of the activator (AF)-dependent and -independent (H+,K+)-ATPase on micromolar vanadate and Ca2+, specific vitamin B12 binding ability of the apical plasmalemma, phospholipid and protein profiles of the two membrane subfractions, and other parameters. The AF, mentioned previously, has recently been implicated as a cytosolic regulator of the gastric (H+,K+)-ATPase [Bandopadhyay et al. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 5664-5670]. Two different forms (i.e., AF-dependent and -independent forms) of the (H+,K+)-ATPase are suggested to be present in the tubulovesicles on the basis of differential vanadate sensitivity while the AF-dependent form alone is present in the apical membranes. The data have been discussed in terms of stimulation-induced membrane transformation characteristic of the H+-secreting epithelia including the acid-secreting cells of the stomach.     

Evidence for a plasma membrane calcium pump in bovine adrenal medulla but not adrenal cortex.

Continuous sucrose density gradient subfractions from bovine adrenal medullary microsomes were found to accumulate 45-Ca-2+ in the presence of ATP and ammonium oxalate mainly in subfractions of intermediate density. (Na-++K-+)-ATPase (plasma membrane marker) and Ca-2+-ATPase activities were also concentrated in these intermediate subfractions but thiamine pyrophosphatase (Golgi apparatus marker) was not. NADH oxidase (endoplasmic reticulum marker) activity was distributed throughout all subfractions. 45-Ca-2+ accumulation in adrenal cortical microsomes was found to rise and fall in parallel with thiamine pyrophosphatase but not with (Na-++K-+)-ATPase or NADH oxidase activities. Accumulation of 45-Ca-2+ in membrane vesicles in these experiments suggests the existence of a calcium transfer mechanism in plasma membranes of the adrenal medulla but not adrenal cortex.     

Purification and characterization of (Ca2+-Mg2+)-ATPase in rat liver lysosomal membranes.

A (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase associated with rat liver lysosomal membranes was purified about 300-fold over the lysosomal membranes with a 7% recovery as determined from the pattern on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of SDS. The purification procedure included: preparation of lysosomal membranes, solubilization of the membrane with Triton X-100, WGA-Sepharose 6B, Con A-Sepharose, hydroxylapatite chromatography, and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular mass, estimated by gel filtration with Sephacryl S-300 HR, was approximately 340 kDa, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed the enzyme to be composed of four identical subunits with an apparent molecular mass of 85 kDa. The isoelectric point of the purified enzyme was 3.6. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 4.5, a Km value for ATP of 0.17 mM and a Vmax of 71.4 mumol/min/mg protein at 37 degrees C. This enzyme hydrolyzed nucleotide triphosphates and ADP but did not act on p-nitrophenyl phosphate and AMP. The effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on the ATPase were not additive, thereby indicating that both Ca2+ and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities are manifested by the same enzyme. The (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase differed from H(+)-ATPase in lysosomal membranes, since the enzyme was not inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide but was inhibited by vanadate. The effects of some other metal ions and compounds on this enzyme were also investigated. The N-terminal 18 residues of (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase were determined.     

LM fibroblast plasma membrane subfractionation by affinity chromatography on Con A-sepharose

Affinity chromatography was used to determine the heterogeneity and orientation of plasma membrane vesicles isolated from LM fibroblasts subjected to Dounce homogenization. Two plasma membrane subfractions were obtained by Con A-Sepharose affinity chromatography of LM fibroblast plasma membranes prepared by Dounce homogenization. The desmosterol-phospholipid molar ratio, the phospholipid composition, and the phospholipid fatty acid composition were almost identical between the two fractions. However, the lipid to protein ratio was almost 2-fold greater in the nonadherent fraction A. The binding of fluorescein-concanavalin A was the same in both fractions indicating a right-side-out orientation of the vesicles. Similarly the asymmetric distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine in both membrane fractions was the same. In contrast, sialic acid content, 5′-nucleotidase activity, and (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase activity were 47%, 3.7-fold, and 2.5-fold greater, respectively, in the nonadherent, lipid-rich fraction A. Structural properties of the two membrane fractions determined by fluorescence polarization and Arrhenius plots of trans-parinaric acid fluorescence were similar. These results indicate that concanavalin-A affinity chromatography separates two membrane fractions differing in sialic acid content, lipid content, and enzyme profile but having the same right-side-out orientation.     

The effect of changes of the content of membrane cholesterol and the effect of benzyl alcohol on the activity of the intrinsic Mg2+-ATPase from the erythrocyte plasma membrane of the flounder (Platichthys flesus L.)

Extraction of membrane cholesterol and incorporation of cholesteryl hemisuccinate into the membrane affect the activity of the membrane-bound Mg2+-ATPase. Increasing the ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid from 0.30 mg/mg in the control membranes to 0.45-0.90 in the enriched membranes results in a slight increase of the activity of about 20%. Diminishing the ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid to about one tenth of the ratio of the control membrane results in a decrease of the activity to about 30% of the untreated control. Benzyl alcohol inactivates the membrane-bound enzyme. Digitonin-solubilized Mg2+-ATPase is also inactivated by benzyl alcohol. For concentrations below 20 mM the dependence of the solubilized and the membrane-bound enzymes are virtually identical, and linearly dependent on alcohol concentration. This linear relationship continues up to 70 mM for the solubilized enzyme, while inhibition of the membrane-bound form shows a slightly steeper dependence on inhibitor concentration. It is suggested that the activity of the native Mg2+-ATPase depends on the organization of the lipid phase of the membrane and that addition of benzyl alcohol or depletion of cholesterol results in a disorganization of the lipid phase which in turn results in diminished activity.     

Preparation of renal cortex basal-lateral and bursh border membranes. Localization of adenylate cyclase and guanylate cyclase activities.

Luminal brush border and contraluminal basal-lateral segments of the plasma membrane from the same kidney cortex were prepared. The brush border membrane preparation was enriched in trehalase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, whereas the basal-lateral membrane preparation was enriched in (Na+ + K+1)-ATPase. However, the specific activity of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase in brush border membranes also increased relative to that in the crude plasma membrane fraction, suggesting that (Na+ + K+)-ATPase may be an intrinsic constituent of the renal brush border membrane in addition to being prevalent in the basal-lateral membrane. Adenylate cyclase had the same distribution pattern as (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, i.e. higher specific activity in basal-lateral membranes and present in brush border membranes. Adenylate cyclase in both membrane preparations was stimulated by parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, epinephrine, prostaglandins and 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate. When the agonists were used in combination enhancements were additive. In contrast to the distribution of adenylate cyclase, guanylate cyclase was found in the cytosol and in basal-lateral membranes with a maximal specific activity (NaN3 plus Triton X-100) 10-fold that in brush border membranes. ATP enhanced guanylate cyclase activity only in basal-lateral membranes. It is proposed that guanylate cyclase, in addition to (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, be used as an enzyme "marker" for the renal basal-lateral membrane.     

Body Plasma Membrane Vesicles from Paramecium Contain a Vanadate-Sensitive Ca--ATPase

Paramecia are an excellent model system for studying the mechanisms involved in sensory transductions and intracellular Ca²⁺ regulation. These cells have two functionally distinct plasma membrane domains, body and cilia. The body plasma membrane is responsible for transduction of sensory stimuli into receptor potentials and the ciliary membrane is required for Ca²⁺ action potentials. Although ciliary membrane vesicles (cmv) have been purified and well characterized, body plasma membranes have not. We have generated body plasma membrane vesicles (bmv) by homogenization of deciliated cells and purified them from the microsome fraction by a two-phase aqueous polymer separation. The major criteria for purity of the bmv fraction are: (i) It is enriched 15-fold for a known plasma membrane marker (immobilization antigen) while the marker activities for other membranes were all decreased. The protein banding pattern of bmv is generally similar to cmv on SDS-PAGE. (ii) It contains a vanadate-sensitive Ca²⁺-ATPase activity that has been suggested to be a plasma membrane Ca²⁺ pump. The specific activity of this bmv Ca²⁺-ATPase is increased 4-fold over that of the homogenate. (iii) The phospholipid, fatty acid, and sterol composition of the bmv fraction are indicative of plasma membranes because they are qualitatively similar to cmv. The bmv also contains a membrane-bound NADPH-dependent cytochrome c reductase activity, suggesting that it may play a role in body plasma membrane function. This purified bmv preparation is useful for studying the role of the body plasma membrane in Ca²⁺ regulation, sensory transduction, protein and lipid trafficking, and plasma membrane fusion events.     

Fractionation of membrane vesicles : I. A separation method for different populations of membrane vesicles of thymocytes by affinity chromatography on Con A-Sepharose

Affinity chromatography, a separation technique which makes use of biospecific properties, is well established for the separation of molecules in solution. We applied this method to the subfractionation of biomembranes. Using a microsomal fraction mainly consisting of plasma membrane from rabbit or calf thymocytes, 20–40% of the protein adhered specifically to concanavalin A-Sepharose, whereas the majority of the membrane vesicles were recovered from the effluent. The adherence involved the binding of Con A to membranes, as addition of the hapten sugar α-methyl-mannoside completely prevented separation. The fractions which bound to Con A-Sepharose could be eluted by combining mechanical forces with the addition of α-methyl-mannoside. All fractions exhibited the same vesicular appearance and were identical with respect to the phospholipid cholesterol ratio. The method proved to be highly reproducible and it offers a possible way for the subfractionation of membranes according to their biospecific structure.     

Characterization of a beta-actinin-like protein in purified non-muscle cell membranes. Its activity on (Na+ + K+)-ATPase

Treatment by EDTA of purified plasma membranes from MF2S cells (a variant of the murine plasmacytoma MOPC 173) solubilized proteins and increased by a 1000-fold the sensitivity of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to ouabain. When added back with Ca2+ to treated plasma membranes, these EDTA-solubilized proteins restored the initial sensitivity of the enzyme to its inhibitor. We report the purification of a protein of Mr 32000, isolated from the EDTA-treated membrane supernatant. This protein was purified by a one-step procedure involving a preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis without detergent. In the presence of Ca2+ it was able to restore the original sensitivity to ouabain of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from EDTA-treated membrane. This protein was shown to be similar to the beta-actinin described by Maruyama by the following criteria: (1) molecular weight and amino acid composition; (2) cross-reactivity with their respective antisera; (3) in the presence of Ca2+ the same quantitative biological activity on ouabain sensitivity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. A possible interaction between beta-actinin, calmodulin and membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)-ATPase is discussed.     

Evidence for a plasma membrane calcium pump in bovine adrenal medulla but not adrenal cortex

Continuous sucrose density gradient subfractions from bovine adrenal medullary microsomes were found to accumulate ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ in the presence of ATP and ammonium oxalate mainly in subfractions of intermediate density. (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase (plasma membrane marker) and Ca²⁺-ATPase activities were also concentrated in these intermediate subfractions but thiamine pyrophosphatase (Golgi apparatus marker) was not. NADH oxidase (endoplasmic reticulum marker) activity was distributed throughout all subfractions.⁴⁵Ca²⁺ accumulation in adrenal cortical microsomes was found to rise and fall in parallel with thiamine pyrophosphatase but not with (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase or NADH oxidase activities.Accumulation of ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ in membrane vesicles in these experiments suggests the existence of a calcium transfer mechanism in plasma membranes of the adrenal medulla but not adrenal cortex.     

Fractionation of membrane vesicles: I. A separation method for different populations of membrane vesicles of thymocytes by affinity chromatography on Con A-Sepharose

Affinity chromatography, a separation technique which makes use of biospecific properties, is well established for the separation of molecules in solution. We applied this method to the subfractionation of biomembranes. Using a microsomal fraction mainly consisting of plasma membrane from rabbit or calf thymocytes, 20–40% of the protein adhered specifically to concanavalin A-Sepharose, whereas the majority of the membrane vesicles were recovered from the effluent. The adherence involved the binding of Con A to membranes, as addition of the hapten sugar α-methyl-mannoside completely prevented separation. The fractions which bound to Con A-Sepharose could be eluted by combining mechanical forces with the addition of α-methyl-mannoside. All fractions exhibited the same vesicular appearance and were identical with respect to the phospholipid cholesterol ratio. The method proved to be highly reproducible and it offers a possible way for the subfractionation of membranes according to their biospecific structure.     

Phosphorylated intermediates of (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase and alkaline phosphatase in renal plasma membranes

Renal basal-lateral and brush border membrane preparations were phosphorylated in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP. The 32P-labeled membrane proteins were analysed on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. The phosphorylated intermediates formed in different conditions are compared with the intermediates formed in well defined membrane preparations such as erythrocyte plasma membranes and sarcoplasmic reticulum from skeletal muscle, and with the intermediates of purified renal enzymes such as (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and alkaline phosphatase. Two Ca2+-induced, hydroxylamine-sensitive phosphoproteins are formed in the basal-lateral membrane preparations. They migrate with a molecular radius Mr of about 130 000 and 100 000. The phosphorylation of the 130 kDa protein was stimulated by La3+-ions (20 microM) in a similar way as the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase from erythrocytes. The 130 kDa phosphoprotein also comigrated with the erythrocyte (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase. In addition in the same preparation, another hydroxylamine-sensitive 100 kDa phosphoprotein was formed in the presence of Na+. This phosphoprotein comigrates with a preparation of renal (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. In brush border membrane preparations the Ca2+-induced and the Na+-induced phosphorylation bands are absent. This is consistent with the basal-lateral localization of the renal Ca2+-pump and Na+-pump. The predominant phosphoprotein in brush border membrane preparations is a 85 kDa protein that could be identified as the phosphorylated intermediate of renal alkaline phosphatase. This phosphoprotein is also present in basal-lateral membrane preparations, but it can be accounted for by contamination of those membranes with brush border membranes.     

Evidence that the platelet plasma membrane does not contain a (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-dependent ATPase

The present study was designed to determine the subcellular distribution of the platelet (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase. Human platelets were surface labeled by the periodate-boro[3H]hydride method. Plasma membrane vesicles were then isolated to a purity of approx. 90% by a procedure utilizing wheat germ agglutinin affinity chromatography. These membranes were found to be 2.6-fold enriched in surface glycoproteins compared to an unfractionated vesicle fraction and almost 7-fold enriched compared to intact platelets. In contrast, the isolated plasma membranes showed a decreased specific activity of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase compared to the unfractionated vesicle fraction. This decrease in specific activity was found to be similar to that of an endoplasmic reticulum marker, glucose-6-phosphatase, and to that of a platelet inner membrane marker, phospholipase A2. We conclude, therefore, that the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase is not located in the platelet plasma membrane but is restricted to membranes of intracellular origin.