Investigation of the heterogeneity of rhesus monkey alpha 1-antitrypsin

Rhesus monkey alpha 1-antitrypsin (n = 144) was examined for heterogeneity by acid starch gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing in agarose and agarose gel electrophoresis. In contrast to other studies, no heterogeneity of Rhesus monkey alpha 1-antitrypsin could be documented using specific antisera. Rhesus monkey alpha 1-antitrypsin contained a reactive thiol. The pIs of the major isoforms of Rhesus monkey alpha 1-antitrypsin were 4.63, 4.69, 4.84 and 4.86 at 4 degrees C. No deficiency state of Rhesus monkey alpha 1-antitrypsin was detected. The six protease inhibitors in Rhesus monkey sera cross-reacted with antisera to the six human protease inhibitors.     

Isolation, characterization and comparative aspects of the major serum apolipoproteins, B-100 and AI, in the common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus

The two major apolipoproteins of marmoset serum have been isolated and characterized, and on the basis of physicochemical and immunological criteria are homologous with the human AI and B-100 proteins. Marmoset apolipoprotein AI was the principal protein of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and was purified by gel filtration chromatography and electrophoresis in alkaline-urea polyacrylamide gel followed by electrophoretic elution. Purified marmoset apolipoprotein AI displayed an Mr of approx. 27000, was polymorphic (five forms) on isoelectric focussing, with pI values in the range 4.8-5.0, and migrated similarly to human apolipoprotein AI in alkaline-urea gels. An overall resemblance was seen in the amino acid composition of marmoset apolipoprotein AI and that of its human counterpart with the notable exception that marmoset AI contained 1 isoleucine residue/mole. An immunological reaction of partial identity between the human and monkey proteins was seen upon immunodiffusion of their HDLs against antiserum to human apolipoprotein AI. Marmoset B-100 was the predominant apoprotein of VLDL and LDL, resembling the human protein in its elution profile on gel filtration chromatography in anionic detergent, and in its high apparent Mr (approx. 520000). The marmoset and human B-100 proteins were alike in amino acid composition and carbohydrate content. Moreover, their immunological behaviour with an antiserum to marmoset apolipoprotein B showed them to share certain antigenic determinant(s). We conclude that the physicochemical properties of the principle apolipoproteins of Callithrix jacchus, a New World primate, markedly resemble those of the human AI and B-100 proteins, suggesting therefore that they may function similarly in lipid transport and metabolism. Counterparts to human apolipoproteins AII, E, CII and CIII have also been tentatively identified.     

Further studies on bovine serum amylase. 2. Affinity electrophoresis

The polymorphism of bovine serum amylase, which is controlled by the Ami locus, has previously only been demonstrated by starch gel electrophoresis. The addition of maltose to starch gels has been demonstrated to inhibit any subsequent separation of the Ami isozymes by starch gel electrophoresis. When electrophoresis was conducted in a support medium in the absence of starch no polymorphic variation was detected amongst samples from animals of different Ami phenotypes. The addition of starch to agarose gels has been shown to facilitate the subsequent detection of the Ami polymorphism by agarose/starch gel electrophoresis. The electrophoretic resolution of the Ami isozymes has been demonstrated to depend upon differences in affinity for starch rather than differences in net charge. The starch gel electrophoretic separation of the Ami isozymes is. therefore, another example of affinity electrophoresis. All the Ami amylases have been shown to share a common isoelectric point of pH 3.5.     

Immunological similarities of mammalian xanthine oxidases

The degree of relatedness among mammalian xanthine oxidases (XO) was determined by microcomplement fixation. Rabbit anti bovine milk XO serum was tested against xanthine oxidase (homologous protein) and against the heterologous proteins of bovine liver, monkey liver, rat liver, lactating cow serum, nonlactating cow serum, and steer serum. The indices of dissimilarity for the heterologous proteins were expressed as units of immunological distance and the percent sequence differences among these proteins inferred from the y=5x relationship where y is immunological distance and x is percent sequence difference. Rat liver XO differed by approximately 27% in amino acid sequence from bovine milk XO. In order of increasing immunological distance from bovine milk XO, the sources of XO ranked as follows: lactating cow serum < nonlactating cow serum < steer serum = beef liver < monkey liver < rat liver. The monkey ranked much closer than the rat in order of phylogenetic kinship to the cow. Starch gel electrophoresis of liver, milk, and serum showed that the milk and the serum contained only cationic forms of xanthine oxidase while all the liver samples tested contained cationic as well as anionic forms of the enzyme. The electrophoretic mobility properties of xanthine oxidase confirmed the polymorphic nature of the enzyme as revealed by the immunological data.This investigation was supported by the National Dairy Council, Chicago, Illinois, and by USPHS Grant AM16726.     

Fluorographic detection of [3H]thymidine-labeled deoxyribonucleic acid using agarose gels infused with 2,5-diphenyloxazole prior to electrophoresis

A fluorographic procedure for the detection of [3H]thymidine-labeled deoxyribonucleic acids electrophoresed in agarose gels was developed. 2,5-Diphenyloxazole (PPO) was added to the agarose solution before pouring of the gel for electrophoresis. This procedure did not interfere with the electrophoretic mobility of the DNA molecules. The radioactive detection efficiency was found to be improved over an existing procedure whereby the agarose gel was infused with PPO after electrophoresis with the aid of acetic acid.     

Isolation and partial characterization of a guinea pig serum apolipoprotein comigrating with apo-E on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electropherograms.

Study of guinea pig plasma lipoproteins has shown that they contain a polypeptide that comigrates with the arginine-rich polypeptide (apo-E) by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This comigrating polypeptide differs from apo-E in its amino acid composition, immunological cross-reactivities, electrophoretic mobility in urea polyacrylamide gel, and elution volume from Sephadex gel columns. It is present in very low density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins from both control and cholesterol-fed guinea pigs.     

Quantitative measurement of lipoprotein surface charge by agarose gel electrophoresis.

The electrophoretic mobilities of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and six pure proteins in a 0.5% agarose gel have been compared to literature electrophoretic mobility values determined by the Tiselius moving boundary method. There is a strong correlation (r = 0.99) between the electrophoretic mobilities determined by the two techniques. The electrophoretic behavior of charged particles smaller than very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) is not markedly perturbed by a 0.5% agarose matrix, and variations in mobility primarily reflect differences in particle valence and density of surface charge. Application of electrokinetic theory to derive protein and lipoprotein net charges from the electrophoretic mobilities in agarose yields a quantitative delineation of lipoprotein electrophoretic migration patterns wherein the beta mobility region comprises a surface potential range of -4.5 to -7.0 mV; the pre-beta region a range of -7.0 to -10.5 mV; the alpha mobility region a range of -10.5 to -12.5 mV and the serum albumin region a range of -12.5 to -14.0 mV. Because protein conformation and charge are critical in metabolic regulation, the agarose gel electrophoresis technique provides a valuable analytical tool that should help to elucidate further details of the structure-function relationships of serum lipoprotein particles.     

Electrophoretic mobility of high-molecular-weight, double-stranded DNA on agarose gels.

A new theoretical model for the migration of high-molecular-weight, double-stranded DNA on agarose gels is presented. This leads to the prediction that under certain conditions of electrophoresis, a linear relationship will exist between the molecular weight of a DNA molecule, raised to the (-2/3) power, and its electrophoretic mobility. Agarose gel electrophoresis of the fragments of bacteriophage lambda DNA produced by several restriction endonucleases confirms this relationship, and establishes some of the limits on its linearity. For this work, a polyacrylamide slab gel apparatus was modified for use with agarose gels. This apparatus has several advantages over others commercially available for agarose gel electrophoresis, including the abilities to run a larger number of samples at one time, to use lower-concentration gels, and to maintain better temperature stability across the width of the gel. The validation of the relationship developed here between molecular weight and electrophoretic mobility should make this a useful method for determining the molecular weights of DNA fragments.     

Isolation of a new actin-binding protein from human seminal plasma

Interaction of a protein of human seminal plasma with actin was detected by agar gel immunoelectrophoresis. A major actin-binding protein was isolated from human seminal plasma using an actin-Sepharose 4B column followed by fast-performance liquid chromatography with an anion-exchange Mono-Q column. The protein showed a single band under reduced conditions on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in a position corresponding to a molecular mass of 20 kDa. This 20 kDa polypeptide was detected in saliva and extracts of the submandibular gland and seminal vesicles as well as seminal plasma by the method of immunoblotting using monospecific antibody against the 20 kDa antigenic component of human seminal plasma. The protein might be called secretory actin-binding protein (SABP).     

Structural proteins of poliovirus type 2 isolates

Seventeen strains of type 2 poliovirus isolated from vaccines and vaccine-contacts in Japan were analyzed for viral structural proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An alteration in electrophoretic mobility of VP1 was observed in most of the strains from paralytic patients and healthy vaccinees. The alteration in VP1 was observed at a high frequency among many strains, but no significant relation between the mobility change of VP1 and antigenic marker or rct/40 marker was observed. No alteration in mobility of other structural proteins was observed among the strains examined except for one with altered VP3. The results suggested that VP1 of Sabin type 2 strain was easily changeable during replication in human intestines.     

Rapid separation of DNA molecules by agarose gel electrophoresis: use of a new agarose matrix and a survey of running buffer effects.

This report describes the use of a new type of agarose (FastLane agarose) for faster separation of DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA molecules separated in this agarose exhibited electrophoretic mobilities up to 30% higher than similar separations in standard analytical grade agarose. DNA molecules of all sizes examined showed higher mobilities in FastLane agarose. The mobility increase was predominantly due to the low electroendosmosis of FastLane agarose and was most pronounced in pulsed field gel electrophoresis separations. The magnitude of mobility increase varied depending on the conditions used for electrophoresis.     

Isolation,purification and partial characterisation of prealbumin from cerebrospinal fluid

Prealbumin from human cerebrospinal fluid was purified using a combination of ammonium sulphate precipitation, phenol precipitation, Polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The homogeneity of the purified protein was established by Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Immunoelectrophoresis. On the basis of its molecular weight (55,000), amino acid composition, electrophoretic mobility and immunological cross-reactivity, the prealbumin from cerebrospinal fluid showed complete identity with serum prealbumin. The cerebrospinal fluid prealbumin levels in various neurological disorders may have a diagnostic significance. Part of the Ph. D. thesis submitted by the first author.     

Identification and partial characterization of caltrin-like proteins in the reproductive tract of the guinea pig

The presence of caltrin-like proteins in reproductive tract fluid (RTF) and seminal vesicle content from male guinea pigs has been determined. Two fractions with electrophoretic mobility corresponding to Mr = 6200 (main band) and 5100 were detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Isoelectric focusing in thin-layer agarose gels revealed three bands with acidic pIs of 5.3, 6.0, and 6.2, respectively. RTF prevented the enhancement of calcium permeability induced by incubating guinea pig epididymal spermatozoa in medium for capacitation. Spermatozoa incubated for 2 h in minimal culture medium plus pyruvate and lactate containing RTF accumulated less than 30% of the 45Ca2+ accumulated by cells maintained in absence of this fluid. Calcium uptake by preincubated spermatozoa was also inhibited by RTF. Inhibition of calcium transport activity by RTF and seminal vesicle proteins was not decreased by heating the dialyzed preparations at 60 degrees C for 5 min. After this treatment, the inhibitory activity and the protein pattern were stable for 3 wk when stored at 4 degrees C. Unheated extracts lost calcium transport inhibitory activity after 2 or 3 days at 4 degrees C. In spite of the differences in pIs among the proteins from the guinea pig reproductive tract and bovine caltrin, several features indicate they may play a similar role in both species by controlling Ca2+ movement across the plasma membrane. By this mechanism, these proteins could regulate physiologic events essential for the fertilization process.     

A low molecular weight alanine aminopeptidase in urine. Biochemical equivalent of tubular atrophy?

Using agarose gel electrophoresis, a faster moving alanine aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11.2) has been demonstrated in the urine from cases of Fanconi syndrome, endemic (Balkan) nephropathy and advanced renal insufficiency. The enzyme was partially purified and its properties (isoelectric point, molecular weight, substrate specificity, influence of metal ions, Michaelis constant, antigenic behavior) were compared with those of normal kidney alanine aminopeptidase. Isoelectric points and antigenic properties are identical, but the molecular weights differ by a factor of about 2. Therefore, the greater electrophoretic mobility is due to the smaller size of the atypical enzyme.     

Isolation and partial characterization of a alpha 2-beta 1-glycoprotein from horse plasma

A alpha 2-beta 1-glycoprotein was isolated from horse plasma by classical methods. The final product appeared homogeneous by agarose gel and pore limit SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis and crossed immunoelectrophoresis. The protein moved in agarose gel electrophoresis just above the beta 1 region and seemed composed of a single polypeptide chain. A highly heterogenic banding pattern, focused between pH 5.1 and 6.5 was revealed by isoelectric focusing. The molecular weights determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G100 and by a pore limit polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in presence of SDS were 65,000 and 82,300 dalton, respectively. No serological relation was found between the horse alpha 2-beta 1-glycoprotein and human and bovine plasma proteins.     

The stepwise mutation model: an experimental evaluation utilizing hemoglobin variants

The stepwise mutation model of Ohta and Kimura (1973) was proposed to explain patterns of genetic variability revealed by means of electrophoresis. The assumption that electrophoretic mobility was principally determined by unit changes in net molecular charge has been criticized by Johnson (1974, 1977). This assumption has been tested directly using hemoglobin. Twenty-seven human hemoglobin variants with known amino acid substitutions, and 26 nonhuman hemoglobins with known sequences were studied by starch gel electrophoresis. Of these hemoglobins, 60 to 70% had electrophoretic mobilities that could be predicted solely on the basis of net charge calculated from the amino acid composition alone, ignoring tertiary structure. Only four hemoglobins showed a mobility that was clearly different from an expected mobility calculated using only the net charge of the molecule. For the remaining 30% of hemoglobins studied, mobility was determined by a combination of net charge and other unidentified components, probably reflecting changes in ionization of some amino acid residues as a result of small alterations in tertiary structure due to the amino acid substitution in the variant. For the nonhuman hemoglobins, the deviation of a sample from its expected mobility increased with increasing amino acid divergence from human hemoglobin A.-It is concluded that the net electrostatic charge of a molecule is the principal determinant of electrophoretic mobility under the conditions studied. However, because of the significant deviation from strict stepwise mobility detected for 30 to 40% of the variants studied, it is further concluded that the infinite-allele model of Kimura and Crow (1964) or a "mixed model" such as that proposed by Li (1976) may be more appropriate than the stepwise mutation model for the analysis of much of the available electrophoretic data from natural populations.     

Purification and properties of the phenprocoumon-induced decarboxyfactor X from bovine plasma. A comparison to normal factor X.

1. By a procedure involving adsorption to barium sulfate, chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and QAE-Sephadex and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, decarboxyfactor X was purified from plasma of phenprocoumon-treated cows. No contaminants could be detected in the final preparation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and zone-electrophoresis. 2. The molecular weight of decarboxyfactor X, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is approximately 55 000, which is equal to that of factor X. The protein consists of two polypeptide chains with molecular weights of 44 000 and 17 000. 3. Decarboxyfactor X has antigenic determinants in common with normal factor X. 4. The amino acid composition and aminoterminal amino acids of normal factor X and decarboxyfactor X are identical. 5. Less than one residue of gamma-carboxyglutamate could be detected per mole of decarboxyfactor X. 6. In the absence of Ca2+, normal factor X has a slightly higher electrophoretic mobility than decarboxyfactor X. In the presence of Ca2+ the mobility of factor X decreases considerably while the mobility of decarboxyfactor X remains unaltered.     

Purification and immunological characterization of a new form of gamma-glutamyltransferase of human semen.

A new form of gamma-glutamyltransferase was purified from human seminal plasma. The purified enzyme was composed of two non-identical subunits with apparent molecular masses of 150 and 95 kDa on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and showed a molecular mass of 500 and 250 kDa on gel filtration in the absence and presence of 1% Triton X-100, respectively. This enzyme was different from human renal gamma-glutamyltransferase not only in apparent molecular masses, but also in amino acid compositions of both the subunits to each other. Experiments with the antisera raised against the purified enzyme revealed that the enzyme was different from the renal, hepatic and testicular enzymes in reactivity to the antibody though partially related to those enzymes. Ouchterlony double diffusion analysis indicated that both human seminal plasma and prostatic extract contained two types of gamma-glutamyltransferase, one is that we purified and the other the renal type. Hence, it is most likely that gamma-glutamyltransferase accounting for most of the enzyme activity in semen results from prostata followed by secretion to seminal plasma.     

Separation and characterization of plasma lipoproteins of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

A group of 14 adult male rhesus monkeys was maintained on a low cholesterol-high fat diet. Periodically, animals were fasted and blood samples were taken for characterization of the plasma lipoproteins. Complete separation of individual plasma lipoprotein classes was not achieved by traditional sequential ultracentrifugation techniques. Rather, initial separation of lipoprotein classes according to size was effected and density centrifugation was used subsequently for further separation. At least six lipoprotein fractions were identified, each of which was unique as defined by the properties of size, density (d), and electrophoretic mobility. These lipoprotein fractions were characterized by determination of chemical compositions and apoprotein patterns. The lipoproteins present in highest concentration in these monkeys were designated as region IV lipoproteins. This fraction had alpha-migration on agarose electrophoresis, 1.063 < d < 1.225, and the size, composition, and apoprotein pattern characteristic of HDL. No fewer than three fractions were identified with densities that overlapped the 1.019 < d < 1.063 range. Of these, the fraction designated as region III lipoproteins was present in highest concentration, had beta-migration by agarose electrophoresis, a predominant B apoprotein, and a chemical composition and size characteristic of LDL. Two larger subfractions, identified as region II lipoproteins, were separated from each other at a density of 1.050 g/ml. Agarose electrophoresis showed that the fraction with d < 1.050 had a migration intermediate between beta and pre-beta. The chemical composition and apoprotein pattern were consistent with the possibility that these lipoproteins were remnants of VLDL catabolism. The fraction with d > 1.050, had pre-beta mobility and a size and composition similar to the Lp(a) lipoprotein in plasma of human beings. At least two VLDL subfractions, identified as region I and IIa lipoproteins, were found although both were present in very low concentrations. Region I lipoproteins were larger and contained relatively more cholesteryl ester and more of the apoproteins that migrated with the mobility of apo-B and arg-rich apoprotein in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Some of the region I lipoproteins were beta-migrating by agarose electrophoresis. These results suggested the possibility that a beta-migrating VLDL was present in these normal animals.     

Identification of sperm forward motility-related proteins in human seminal plasma

Seminal plasma, an amorphous material that exists in semen, contains proteins related to sperm forward motility. Employing affinity chromatography with ConA beads and protein ultrafiltration, we isolated and concentrated proteins from heated human seminal plasma. Results of computer-assisted semen analyses (CASA) demonstrated that the forward motility index of bovine spermatozoa from the epididymal caput, incubated with proteins and theophylline, was significantly different from that of spermatozoa incubated with theophylline alone (P < 0.01). The electrophoreses revealed that the protein bands with high molecular weights in the gel of PAGE changed into low molecular weights in the gel of SDS-PAGE. Furthermore, proteins from a separated portion of the PAGE gel were still able to stimulate spermatozoa from the epididymal caput to gain forward motility. Two-dimensional (2D)-gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry indicated that spots focused on the portion seemed, according to their amino acid sequences, to be like human alpha-1-antitrypsin and zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (ZAG) precursors. Western blot analysis showed the presence of these two proteins in seminal plasma. These proteins, related to the forward motility of spermatozoa in human seminal plasma, may play important roles during maturation of spermatozoa, from the epididymis through fertilization in the female reproductive tract.