Bioaffinity chromatography of thyrotropin using immobilized concanavalin A

The behavior of crude preparations of whale and bovine thyrotropins was studied on an affinity column packed with concanavalin A-Sepharose. Only a small portion of the proteins applied was adsorbed to the column and eluted quantitatively with 0.5 M methyl-alpha-D-glucoside or -mannoside. Immunoreactive as well as hormonally active thyrotropin was recovered exclusively in the absorbed fraction. The usefulness of this chromatographic procedure for the group separation of pituitary glycoprotein hormones is discussed.     

Investigation of the heterogeneity of heterogalactan from the fruit bodies of Fomitopsis pinicola, by employing concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity chromatography

A heterogalactan was isolated from the hot water extract of fruit bodies of Fomitopsis pinicola by a combination of fractionation procedures including precipitation with ethanol and with Cetavlon, and chromatography on columns of DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-100. Despite its apparent homogeneity on gel filtration, zone electrophoresis, sedimentation equilibration, and immunodiffusion analyses, the neutral component of heterogalactan was further fractionated into unbound, weakly bound, and strongly bound forms by affinity chromatography on a column of concanavalin A-Sepharose CL 4B. The former two polysaccharides fractions eluted with 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) were found to be a fucogalactan and a mannofucogalactan, respectively. A more tightly bound fraction (mannofucogalactan) was subsequently eluted with 0.1 M glucose in 1 M NaCl. The results of methylation, complete Smith degradation, and proton and 13C NMR spectroscopic analyses indicated that the three kinds of heterogalactans are all highly branched polysaccharides containing a framework of (1 leads to 6)-linked alpha-D-galactopyranosyl residues, the C-2 positions of which are substituted in different proportions with either single L-fucopyranosyl residues or disaccharide units of 3-O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-L-fucopyranose residues.     

Glycan uniformity within molecular variants of transferrin with distinct affinity for concanavalin A

Human serum Transferrin has been fractionated on concanavalin A-Sepharose column into three fractions: Con A-non reactive (5 %), Con A-weakly reactive (30 %) and Con A-reactive (65 %). Each Con A-affinity transferrin variant contains a pair of identical oligosaccharide units either tri-branched in the Con A-non reactive variant or two-branched in the Con A-weakly reactive and Con A-reactive transferrin. This is an additional support to our proposal that glycosylation occurs uniformly along each polypeptide chain yielding identical oligosaccharide units at each glycosylated site.     

Chromatography on DEAE ion-exchange and Protein G affinity columns in tandem for the separation and purification of proteins.

A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method based on coupled DEAE anion-exchange and Protein G affinity columns has been developed for the simultaneous separation and purification of immunoglobulin G and albumin from mouse serum. The diluted mouse serum was injected directly into this system, and the proteins were eluted separately from the DEAE and Protein G columns, coupled in series, by the column-switching technique. The advantages of this method are that IgG and albumin can be separated and purified simultaneously, the expensive affinity column is protected from contamination by the impurities in the mouse serum, and it is fast, selective, robust, and reproducible.     

Trypanosoma lewisi: antibody classes which mediate precipitation, agglutination, and the inhibition of reproduction

Sera from Trypanosoma lewisi-infected and uninfected rats were applied to Protein A-Sepharose CL-4B columns. The absorbed fractions of antisera which contained only IgG molecules were reacted in microimmunodiffusion analyses with the exoantigens of T. lewisi in plasma collected from irradiated infected rats, and formed one precipitin line. These sera were also applied to T. lewisi extract immunoabsorbent columns and bound proteins were eluted and analyzed by immunodiffusion against antisera specific for rat immunoglobulins. IgG₁, IgG_2a, IgG_2b, IgG_2c, and IgM were absorbed by the immuno-absorbent columns. Absorption of the rat antisera with anti-rat IgG or anti-rat IgM removed one of the two precipitin lines against extracts prepared from parasites collected from irradiated infected animals. The absorbed IgG fractions and nonabsorbed fractions of antisera which were collected after Protein A-Sepharose CL-4B column chromatography agglutinated trypanosomes. After treatment of antisera with 2-mercaptoethanol, the agglutinin titers were lower than those of the control antisera suggesting both IgG and IgM are involved in the agglutination. The ablastic activity of the fractions eluted from Protein A-Sepharose CL-4B Chromatographic columns was assayed in cultures of bloodstream forms ofT. lewisi. Ablastic activity of proteins of antisera absorbed by the columns was demonstrated indicating they belonged to the IgG class of antibodies.     

Structural characterization of a glycoprotein variant of human serum albumin: albumin Casebrook (494Asp → Asn)

Albumin Casebrook is an electrophoretically slow genetic variant of human albumin with a relative molecular mass 2.5 kDa higher than normal albumin. It constitutes about 35% of total serum albumin in heterozygous carriers. The decrease in negative charge observed on incubation with sialidase suggested the presence of a carbohydrate moiety and the normalization of molecular weight following treatment with Endo-F indicated that this was an N-linked oligosaccharide. Partial acid hydrolysis and limited tryptic digestion established that the oligosaccharide was located in the C-terminal domaine, between residues 367 and 585. Tryptic, chymotryptic and S. aureus V8 proteinase digestions were carried out and the resulting glycopeptides were purified on concanavalin A-Sepharose. Peptide mapping of bound and unbound fractions followed by amino acid composition and sequence analysis, established a point mutation of 494 Asp → Asn. This introduces an Asn-Glu-Thr N-linkrf oligosaccharide attachment sequence centered on Asn-494 and explains the increase in molecular mass. There was no apparent pathology associated with the presence of this new glycosylated albumin, which was detected in two unrelated individuals of Anglo-Saxon descent.     

Immunogenicity and antigenicity of immunoglobulins: detection of human immunoglobulin light-chain carbohydrate, using concanavalin A

Concanavalin A binding to glycoprotein bands on nitrocellulose blots was used to detect mannose, sorbose, N-acetylgalactosamine and/or glucose residues on 100% (31/31) of human Bence Jones protein light chains, following sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All (20/20) light chains form IgG myeloma proteins and light chains from a preparation of normal polyclonal human IgG were also bound by concanavalin A. The specificity of concanavalin A for glycoproteins was demonstrated by its binding to human Fc fragments and a human monoclonal anti-Rhesus D antibody (REG-A), but not to human albumin pFc' fragments and aglycosylated REG-A derived from cells grown in the presence of the glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin. These results suggest that all Bence Jones proteins and light chains from myeloma IgG proteins contain mono- or oligosaccharides linked O-glycosidically to serine or threonine residues.     

Efficient prefractionation of low-abundance proteins in human plasma and construction of a two-dimensional map

Human plasma is the most clinically valuable specimen, containing not only a dynamic concentration range of protein components, but also several groups of high-abundance proteins that seriously interfere with the detection of low-abundance potential biomarker proteins. To establish a high-throughput method for efficient depletion of high-abundance proteins and subsequent fractionation, prior to molecular analysis of proteins, we explored how coupled immunoaffinity columns, commercially available as multiple affinity removal columns (MARC) and free flow electrophoresis (FFE), could apply to the HUPO plasma proteome project. Here we report identification of proteins and construction of a human plasma 2-DE map devoid of six major abundance proteins (albumin, transferrin, IgG, IgA, haptoglobin, and antitrypsin) using MARC. The proteins were identified by PMF, matching with various internal 2-DE maps, resulting in a total of 144 nonredundant proteins that were identified from 398 spots. Tissue plasminogen activator, usually present at 10-60 ng/mL plasma, was also identified, indicative of a potentially low-abundance biomarker. Comparison of representative 2-D gel images of three ethnic groups (Caucasian, Asian-American, African-American) plasma exhibited minor differences in certain proteins between races and sample pretreatment. To establish a throughput fractionation of plasma samples by FFE, either MARC flow-through fractions or untreated samples of Korean serum were subjected to FFE. After separation of samples on FFE, an aliquot of each fraction was analyzed by 1-D gel, in which MARC separation was a prerequisite for FFE work. Thus, a working scheme of MARC --> FFE --> 1-D PAGE --> 2-D-nanoLC-MS/MS may be considered as a widely applicable standard platform technology for fractionation of complex samples like plasma.     

Fractionation of glycopeptides by affinity column chromatography on concanavalin A-sepharose.

Using [3H]-labeled oligosaccharides, we found that the presence of at least two alpha-mannosyl residues with free hydroxyl groups at C-3, 4, and 6 is required for oligosaccharides to be related by a concanavalin A-Sepharose column. This finding is also applicable to N-[14C]acetylated glycopeptides. Thus, the concanavalin A-Sepharose column might become a useful tool for structural studies of glycopeptides and oligosaccharides and for their fractionation. Glycopeptides prepared from the trypsinate of rat fibroblasts, which has been purified by paper electrophoresis, were further separated into two fractions by chromatography on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column.     

Glucosidase II, a glycoprotein of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Proteolytic cleavage into enzymatically active fragments

Glucosidase II removes the inner two alpha-linked glucose residues from freshly transferred Asn-linked oligosaccharide chains in the endoplasmic reticulum. This enzyme, whose activity could be measured by the hydrolysis of an artificial substrate (p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside), was purified 240-fold from a rat liver microsome fraction by DEAE-cellulose, concanavalin A-Sepharose 4B, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The apparent molecular weight of the active polypeptide was 123 000 as estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Glucosidase II has at least one high-mannose oligosaccharide chain that can be cleaved by endoglycosidase H. Trypsin readily cleaved the 123-kilodalton (kDa) form of glucosidase II into a fully active 73-kDa core. The pattern of this cleavage suggests a domain structure for this enzyme. We demonstrate that trypsin first removes a glycosylated 25-kDa domain to yield an apparently unglycosylated 98-kDa product which is further cleaved to yield the active 73-kDa core.     

The interaction of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase with concanavalin A and its use in enzyme purification

Dopamine-β-hydroxylase forms a complex with concanavalin A and can be quantitatively dissociated from the complex with α-methyl-D mannoside. It can thus be separated from other chromaffin vesicle proteins that have no affinity for the lectin. Using this observation it was possible to purify the enzyme by a single passage through a column of concanavalin A-Sepharose. Analysis of the concentrated eluate by disc gel electrophoresis showed that the dopamine-β-hydroxy-last was 93% pure. The binding of this glycoprotein enzyme to concanavalin A indicates that the polysaccharide moiety is highly branched and contains α-D-mannopyranosyl and/or α-D-glucopyranosyl residues as the terminal sugars.     

Purification of the solubilized NADPH:O2 oxidoreductase of human neutrophils. Isolation of its catalytically inactive cytochrome b and flavoprotein redox centers

The membrane-bound NADPH:O2 oxidoreductase of human neutrophils has been solubilized in approximately 70% yield and purified on concanavalin A-Sepharose and gel sieving columns of varying bed volumes and sieving ranges. The half-life of the solubilized oxidoreductase stored at 2-4 degrees C in the presence of 25% glycerol at pH 8.6 is approximately 30 h. The oxidoreductase contains a flavoprotein identifiable by its fluorescence spectrum for FAD which binds weakly to concanavalin A-Sepharose and elutes from gel sieving columns at a molecular weight range of approximately 51,000. This flavoprotein accounts for approximately 70% of the total FAD content found in granular membrane fractions recovered from activated neutrophils. Recovery of oxidoreductase activity from both concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity and gel sieving columns is affected by the resolution of the flavoprotein free of the cytochrome b component of the oxidoreductase. The resolved flavoprotein and cytochrome b appear unable to catalyze either NADH nor NADPH oxidase activities with O2, ferricyanide, or nitroblue tetrazolium salt serving as electron acceptors.     

Studies on haptoglobin binding to concanavalin A

Ascitic fluid haptoglobins 1-1, 2-1 and 2-2 and their tryptic glycopeptides were fractionated by affinity chromatography on Con A-Sepharose. Three peaks were obtained, corresponding to non-binding, weakly binding and strongly binding fractions. Concanavalin A-non-binding and concanavalin A-binding fractions of haptoglobin and of glycopeptide III 2-2 consisted of a series of polymers with increasing molecular mass, except for the non-binding fraction of glycopeptide III 1-1. After reduction there was no difference between the subunit composition of the glycopeptides and their concanavalin A fraction. Concanavalin A-non-binding fractions from haptoglobin 2-1 and glycopeptides III 1-1 and III 2-2 did not form an active complex with hemoglobin and, in crossed immunodiffusion, showed a reaction of partial identity with haptoglobin 2-1, glycopeptides III 1-1, III 2-2 and their concanavalin A-binding fractions. Concanavalin A-binding fractions of the above preparations exhibited with hemoglobin higher peroxidase activity than before their separation on Con A-Sepharose and immunodiffusion gave a reaction of identity among themselves and with unfractionated preparations. The concanavalin A-binding glycopeptide III is the biologically active part of the haptoglobin beta-chain.     

High-abundance proteins depletion for serum proteomic analysis: concomitant removal of non-targeted proteins

In clinical and pharmaceutical proteomics, serum and plasma are frequently used for detection of early diagnostic biomarkers for therapeutic targets. Although obtaining these body fluid samples is non-invasive and easy, they contain some abundant proteins that mask other protein components present at low concentrations. The challenge in identifying serum biomarkers is to remove the abundant proteins, uncovering and enriching at the same time the low-abundance ones. The depletion strategies, however, could lead to the concomitant removal of some non-targeted proteins that may be of potential interest. In this study, we compared three different methods aimed to deplete high-abundance proteins from human serum, focusing on the identification of non-specifically bound proteins which might be eventually removed. A Cibacron blue-dye-based method for albumin removal, an albumin and IgG immunodepletion method and an immunoaffinity column (Multiple Affinity Removal System) that simultaneously removes a total of six high-abundance proteins, were investigated. The bound proteins were eluted, separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified by Nano LC-CHIP-MS system. Flow-through fractions and bound fractions were also analysed with the ProteinChip technology SELDI-TOF-MS. Our results showed that the methods tested removed not only the targeted proteins with high efficiency, but also some non-targeted proteins. We found that the Multiple Affinity Removal Column improved the intensity of low-abundance proteins, displayed new protein spots and increased resolution. Notably, the column showed the lowest removal of untargeted proteins, proved to be the most promising depletion approach and a reliable method for serum preparation prior to proteomic studies.     

Synthesis and secretion of colonic glycoproteins: Evidence for shedding in vivo of low molecular weight membrane components

In vivo glycoprotein synthesis and secretion was studied in rat colonic epithelial cells using precursor labelling with radiolabelled glucosamine. Sepharose 4B gel filtration of radiolabelled glycoproteins obtained from isolated colonic epithelial cells revealed two major fractions: (1) high molecular weight mucus in the excluded fraction and (2) lower molecular weight glycoproteins in the included volume. These glycoproteins were further fractionated by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose. The low molecular weight [³H]glucosamine-labelled glycoproteins contained a major subfraction which specifically adhered to concanavalin A, and could be eluted with 0.2 M α-methylmannoside. Fractionation of the concanavalin A-reactive glycoproteins on Sephadex G-100 revealed a major peak with a molecular weight of 15 000. In contrast, high molecular weight mucus glycoprotein did not adhere appreciably to concanavalin A-Sepharose. Perfusion experiments indicated that colonic secretions contained both mucus and concanavalin A-reactive glycoproteins. The major concanavalin A-reactive glycoprotein in the colonic perfusate was not derived from serum, but was released directly from the colonic membrane into the lumen.     

Interaction of carbohydrate binding sites on concanavalin A-agarose with receptors on adipocytes studied by buoyant density method.

The interaction of concanavalin A (Con A) with isolated adipocytes was studied using Con A-Sepharose beads in the affinity binding buoyant density method previously used to study insulin receptors. Free Con A-Sepharose beads could be separated from the bound beads (cell-bead complexes) by sedimentation of the high density beads and floatation of the low density complexes. Sedimented and total beads could be determined by counting the radioactivity associated with [-125I]Con A coupled in tracer amounts to the beads. Various lines of evidence demonstrated the high specificity of binding. Soluble Con A, but neither insulin nor any of the other proteins tested, inhibited and reversed the binding of Con A-Sepharose to the cells. Whereas treatment of Con A- (and insulin-) derivatized beads with anti-insulin antiserum, and cells with trypsin, readily inhibited binding of insulin-Sepharose to cells, neither treatment inhibited Con A-Sepharose binding. According to the relative extents of inhibition and reversal of binding exhibited by 15 different carbohydrates, the saccharide binding sites on Con A-Sepharose appeared virtually identical with the known sites on free Con A. Protein-containing components of cell ghosts that were solubilized with Triton X-100 appeared to correspond to the Con A-Sepharose receptor sites on the basis of their ability to bind to Con A-Sepharose columns, be eluted with methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside (MeMan) and be precipitated by the free lectin and redissolved by MeMan. According to (a) Normarski interference contrast microscopic examination of the topographical distribution of Con A-Sepharose beads and cells surrounding and bound to each other, and (b) absence of any apparent morphological changes in the cells due to binding, it is suggested that extensive clustering ("cap" or "macropatch" formation) of Con A receptors did not occur on the adipocyte as a consequence of the interaction of the cells with the Con A-Sepharose beads.     

Purification of murine thymocyte-stimulating factor from supernatants of mixed lymphocyte cultures

Thymocyte-stimulating factor (TSF) has been purified 360-fold with a yield of about 18% by the sequential use of gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, ultrafiltration, hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl Sepharose and affinity chromatography on concanavalin A (Con A)-Sepharose. Most of the TSF activity was eluted from Con A-Sepharose columns with α-methyl-d-mannoside, thus suggesting the presence of glucose and/or mannose residues. At the same time, however, the eluted material showed a considerable degree of heterogeneity in the number of these carbohydrate residues. Column electrofocusing of the purest preparations showed two peaks of TSF activity with pI's of 4.7 and 5.1. Proteins were found to electrofocus at these pI's, while no detectable amounts of proteins were found at other pI's.     

Androphilic proteins in cytosols of human benign prostatic hypertrophy.

To examine the properties of androphilic proteins in human benign prostatic hypertrophy, the binding capacity and affinity of the proteins were determined after acetone-treatment, ammonium sulfate precipitation and chromatographies of DEAE and Sephadex G-200. Androphilic proteins in the extract of acetone-dried cytosol from the hypertrophic human prostate was precipitated at 30-50% saturation of ammonium sulfate. The binding of this fraction to dihydrotestosterone and testosterone was high affinity, but the binidng to estradiol-17 beta was the one of non-specific. Androphilic proteins in the 30-50% fraction were eluted from DEAE-cellulose column by buffer containing 0.05 M KCL. On Sephadex G-200 chromatography of 30-50% fraction, the androphilic proteins were observed in three peaks; one was eluted in the void volume and other two were eluted at the sites of IgG and albumin. The amount and ratio of proteins eluted in the void volume and the site of IgG from Sephadex G-200 column were variable in individual tissue samples. The chromatographic behavior of the 30-50% fraction in Sephadex G-200 was not changed significantly by introducing 0.4 M KCl in the system. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was applied for further separation of the proteins.     

Heterogeneity of bovine corneal proteokeratan sulfate

Proteokeratan sulfate was extracted and purified from bovine corneal stroma and then characterized by chemical and biochemical analyses. It was fractionated into several fractions by affinity chromatography on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column or by hydrophobic chromatography on a phenyl-Sepharose column. These fractions differed widely from one another in carbohydrate content, though no significant differences of their amino acid compositions were observed. One fraction (ca. 25%, on a dry weight basis) tightly bound to a concanavalin A-Sepharose column, compared with another fraction (ca. 65%) weakly bound to the same column, was poor in galactose and N-acetylglucosamine, but contained mannose in a high proportion. Fractions (ca. 30%) tightly bound to a phenyl-Sepharose column, in contrast to the one (ca. 66%) weakly bound, had low carbohydrate contents, like the fraction tightly bound to a concanavalin A-Sepharose column. Additionally, the fractions tightly bound to these affinity columns exhibited strong inhibitory actions on erythrocyte-concanavalin A agglutination. To obtain further details of the carbohydrate moiety of the proteokeratan sulfate, an attempt was made to separate and characterize peptidokeratan sulfate and Asn-linked oligosaccharide derived from some proteokeratan sulfate fractions. The present work revealed that the proteokeratan sulfate contains keratan sulfate and high mannose-type oligosaccharide in an approximate chain number ratio of 3.5:1.0, the keratan sulfate content varies widely and the oligosaccharide content increases with decrease of the keratan sulfate content, and the protein core is homogeneous at least with respect to the amino acid composition.     

Isolation of a concanavalin A receptor from mouse L cells.

A cell surface glycoprotein receptor for concanavalin A (Con A) has been isolated from mouse L cells. The isolation procedure involved dissolving whole L cells in 0.3 M lithium diiodosalicylate and extracting with aqueous phenol. The Con A receptor, which was found in the aqueous phase of this extract, was further purified by affinity chromatography on a column of Con A-Sepharose; the receptor was adsorbed to Con A-Sepharose and eluted with 0.1 M methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside or with 0.1 M methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside, but not with other monosaccharides. The cell surface location of the Con A receptor purified in this way was confirmed by showing that it can be isolated from purified L cell plasma membranes and by demonstrating that it can be labeled from the exterior surface of intact L cells by the nonpenetrating galactose oxidase-KB3H4 system. Biochemical studies of the Con A receptor have shown that it migrates on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels as a single component having an apparent molecular weight of approximately 100,000. Its N-terminal amino acid is valine and it has carbohydrate attached at several (at least five) different sites along the polypeptide chain.