Purification of the insulin receptor from human placental membranes

Insulin receptors were purified from human placental microsomal membranes by solubilisation with Triton X-100 followed by Sepharose 6B chromatography, phosphate gradient elution from hydroxyapatite and affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose. 2000-fold purification was achieved with 63% overall recovery. The purified receptor gave a single band on 3.75% polyacrylamide (0.1% Triton X-100) gel electrophoresis. On sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis there was a major band at 75,000 and a minor band at 80,000 daltons. The purified receptor rechromatographed on Sepharose 6B with an apparent molecular weight of 300,000.     

Purification of the major GTP-binding proteins from human placental membranes

Using minor modifications of procedures developed to purify GTP-binding proteins (G-proteins) from rabbit liver, we have purified the major G-proteins present in human placental membranes. One, referred to as Gi, is the major substrate for pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation and has an alpha-subunit of 41,000 daltons, and beta-subunit of 36,000 and 35,000 daltons, and a gamma-subunit of 10,000 daltons. The other protein, referred to as Gp, was identified by its ability to bind guanine nucleotides specifically with high affinity. This activity was resolved from Gs and Gi by the second step of purification (AcA-34 chromatography) and was further purified through heptylamine-Sepharose and hydroxylapatite. The guanine nucleotide-binding site, which can be resolved by high performance liquid chromatography procedures and identified by a photolyzable GTP analogue, is associated with a 21,000-dalton protein (Gp alpha) that copurifies with beta gamma-subunits indistinguishable from the beta gamma-subunits associated with Gs and Gi. This protein represents a potentially novel member of the structurally and functionally homologous family of G-proteins that are transducing elements in the receptor-mediated regulation of a variety of cellular processes.     

Purification of insulin-like growth factor I receptor from human placental membranes

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I receptor was purified from Triton X-100-solubilized human placental membranes by wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose chromatography followed by immunoaffinity chromatography using alpha IR-3, a monoclonal antibody directed against the IGF-I receptor. Purification of 3200-fold and 2800-fold was achieved from wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose eluates with regard to IGF-I binding and kinase activities. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions revealed two major protein bands corresponding to the alpha and beta subunits of the receptor, which accounted for at least 90% of the protein content. The purified receptor bound 10-20 micrograms of IGF-I/mg of protein and was more than 95% free of contamination by insulin receptor. It sedimented in glycerol gradients as a single species with a sedimentation coefficient of 13.7 S and gave three protein bands with Mr = approximately 300,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nonreducing conditions, indicating that alpha 2 beta 2 is an intact form of the IGF-I receptor. The purified receptor, when incubated with [gamma-32P] ATP, became phosphorylated at tyrosine residues of its beta subunit. This was stimulated 3-fold by IGF-I. It also had IGF-I-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity (5264 pmol of 32P incorporated/min/mg of protein) toward a synthetic peptide corresponding to the autophosphorylation site of pp60src. These data strongly suggest that it is a tyrosine-specific protein kinase.     

Purification of annexin I and annexin II from human placental membranes by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Annexin I and annexin II were extracted from human placental membranes with ethylene glycol bis(beta-amino-ethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) and purified by high-performance liquid chromatography by measuring their ability to inhibit phospholipase A2 activity in vitro. Neither protein was capable of binding to a DEAE-5PW HPLC column at neutral pH; however, they were resolved through binding to a Mono S column and passage through size-exclusion HPLC columns. Annexin I and its covalently linked dimer (36 and 66 kDa, respectively, by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-gel electrophoresis) reacted in one-dimensional immunoblots with monoclonal antibodies to annexin I and calpactin II, and with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to lipocortin I, confirming that annexin I, calpactin II, and lipocortin I are the same or closely related proteins. Milligram amounts of monomeric annexin I containing negligible amounts of the cross-linked dimeric annexin I were selectively isolated from placental membranes by using buffers containing the sulfhydryl reagent iodoacetic acid. Milligram amounts of cross-linked annexin I were selectively isolated when placental membranes were initially treated with buffers that did not contain iodoacetic acid and then extracted with Triton X-100, suggesting that sulfhydryl-dependent transglutaminase activity contributes to the selective isolation of this protein. A third phospholipase A2-inhibitory protein (35 kDa by SDS-gel electrophoresis) that reacted in immunoblots with monoclonal antibodies to calpactin I and annexin II, indicating their similar identity, was isolated. The procedure employed allows the rapid purification of annexins I and II in milligram amounts from placental membranes within 2 days.     

Purification to homogeneity of human placental acid sphingomyelinase

Acid sphingomyelinase was purified to homogeneity from human placenta in the presence of a dialyzable detergent, n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside. The major steps in the procedure included column chromatographies with Con A-Sepharose, sphingosylphosphorylcholine-Sepharose 4B, hexyl-agarose, and Mono P. The purified enzyme with pI 7.4 had a specific activity of approx 170,000 units/mg protein with a yield of 3.6%. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a single protein band of Mr 62,000. Gel filtration with a Superose 12 column gave a single peak, and the enzyme in the presence 50 mM n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside was of Mr 123,000, indicating that the native enzyme occurs in a dimeric form. The optimal pH was 5.5 with both sphingomyelin and an artificial substrate, 2-N-hexadecanoylamino-4-nitrophenylphosphorylcholine. The Km values were 55 microM with sphingomyelin and 340 microM with the artificial substrate. The enzyme activity was not affected by Mg2+ (1-5 mM), confirming that the enzyme is acid sphingomyelinase. The enzyme was stable at -80 degrees C for more than 4 months. In addition to the enzyme with pI 7.4, the Mono P chromatofocusing gave two peaks (pI 7.0 and 6.7) possessing the enzymatic activity.     

Purification and characterization of acidic form of glutathione S-transferase in human fetal livers: high similarity to placental form.

An acidic form of glutathione S-transferase (GST) was purified from human fetal livers by means of affinity chromatography and chromatofocusing. The major peak of the acidic form of GST was focused between pH 4.8 and 4.9. Judging by SDS-PAGE, the purified acidic GST was apparently homogeneous; the subunit molecular weight was estimated to be 23,000. The acidic GST catalyzed the conjugations of glutathione (GSH) with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and ethacrynic acid (EA). The immunochemical properties of the purified acidic GST were indistinguishable from those of human placental GST-pi. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the acidic GST was identical with that of GST-pi from human placenta. The level of expression of the acidic form of GST was clearly different between human adult and fetal livers as examined on the levels of mRNA and protein.     

Purification and characterization of a lysophospholipase from human amnionic membranes

We have identified the presence of a lysophospholipase in human placental tissues and have purified this enzyme from the amnion. The specific activity was highest in the amnion and decreased across adjacent tissues. The purification involved the use of DEAE-Sephadex, phenyl-Sepharose, hydroxylapatite, and sulfylpropyl Sephadex chromatography. The activity of the purified enzyme toward palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine is 2.5 mumol min-1 mg-1 and the pH optimum is 7.0. The enzyme is not inhibited by EDTA and does not appear to have a metal ion requirement. The enzyme may be of membrane origin; the purified enzyme requires the presence of detergent during storage. The effects of substrate composition and physical state on enzymatic activity were explored. The enzyme was not active toward mono-, di-, or triglycerides, nor toward diacyl phospholipid. The enzyme was active toward myristoyl and palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine at concentrations where these substrates spontaneously form micelles or where Triton X-100 was used to induce co-micellization of the substrate at low concentrations with detergent. A role for this enzyme in processing the lysophospholipid product of phospholipase A action must be considered in evaluating arachidonic acid production in human fetal membranes and placental tissue, particularly during the initiation of labor.     

Purification and properties of the glucose-6-phosphate-dependent form of human placental glycogen synthase.

Glycogen synthase in the glucose-6-phosphate (glucose-6-P)-dependent form was purified over 10,000-fold from an extract of term human placenta. The purified enzyme shows a single protein band on polyacry1amide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme activity in the presence of glucose-6-P is increased by the single addition of Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, or Mn²⁺ and is reduced by the addition of either sulfate or phosphate. Addition of either Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, or Mn²⁺ relieves the inhibition by sulfate or phosphate. The enzyme activity in the absence of glucose 6-P is greatly increased by the addition of MnSO₄, CoSO₄, and NiSO₄ and is increased to a lesser extent by MgSO₄, CaSO₄, and FeSO₄. The activation of the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the enzyme by these metal sulfates in the absence of glucose-6-P has never been reported. MnSO₄, which shows homotropic cooperativity, is the best activator among the various metal sulfates tested. The human placental glucose-6-P-dependent form of glycogen synthase (D form) can be converted to the glucose-6-P-independent form (I form) of the enzyme by incubating the partially purified glycogen synthase, which is copurified with synthase phosphatase, with Mn²⁺. This conversion can be reversed by the addition of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The synthase D to synthase I converting system from human placenta is unique in its stringent requirement for Mn²⁺.     

Solubilization and characterization of a lactogenic receptor from human placental chorion membranes

Prolactin has a wide range of actions, including osmoregulation and the control of mammary gland development and lactation. These effects are mediated through a high-affinity cell surface receptor, which has been well characterized in a number of animal tissues. The molecular characteristics of the human receptor are unknown, however. The present studies were initiated, therefore, to determine the binding and molecular characteristics of the lactogenic receptor of human placental chorion membranes. Subcellular fractionation studies showed that the bulk of the receptor sedimented in the microsomal fraction at 45,000gav. Endogenous ligand was dissociated from the receptor with 3.5 M MgCl2 or 0.05 M acetate buffer (pH 4.8) with preservation of binding activity. The microsomal receptor bound human growth hormone (hGH), human prolactin (hPRL), ovine prolactin (oPRL), and human placental lactogen (hPL) but not non-primate growth hormones, indicating a narrow specificity for lactogenic hormones. The binding was only partially reversible in agreement with the known binding kinetics of animal lactogenic receptors. The receptor was solubilized with 45% yield from the microsomes using 16 mM 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulphonate (CHAPS) detergent-250 mM NaCl, and the binding activity was fully restored by a two-fold dilution in the binding reaction to reveal a KD of 0.8 nM for hGH and a binding capacity of 200 fmol of specifically bound hGH per mg of microsomal protein. Gel filtration chromatography indicated the minimum molecular weight of the ligand-receptor complex was approximately 60,000 daltons, and sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of covalently cross-linked 125I-hGH-receptor complexes revealed a molecular size of 58,000 daltons. When account was taken of the contribution of the ligand, a molecular weight of 36,000 for the receptor's binding domain was obtained. These data indicate that the chorion lactogenic receptor has very similar binding and molecular characteristics to the lactogenic receptors from other mammalian species. Chorion membranes are thus a convenient source of material for the further purification and characterization of the human lactogenic receptor.     

Characterization of the insulin receptor kinase purified from human placental membranes

The insulin receptor purified from human placenta by sequential affinity chromatography on wheat germ agglutinin- and insulin-Sepharose to near homogeneity retained tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity. This purified insulin receptor kinase specifically catalyzed the incorporation of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP into not only the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor but also histone H2B, a synthetic peptide which is sequentially similar to the site of tyrosine phosphorylation in pp60src (a gene product of the Rous sarcoma virus) and antibodies to pp60src present in the sera obtained from three rabbits bearing tumors induced by the Rous sarcoma virus. In each case, phosphorylation occurred exclusively on tyrosine residues. Insulin stimulated phosphorylation of these substrates 3- to 5-fold. Kinetic analysis using the synthetic peptide indicated that insulin acted by increasing the Vmax of peptide phosphorylation from about 3.1 to 9.5 nmol X mg-1 of protein X min-1, whereas the value of the Km for the peptide, about 1.5 mM, was not significantly changed. This kinase acted weakly on casein, alpha-S-casein, actin, and a tyrosine-containing peptide analogue of a serine-containing peptide used commonly as a substrate for the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases. These data show that the insulin receptor kinase displays specificity toward exogenous substrates similar to the substrate specificity observed for pp60src and the protein kinase activity associated with the receptor for epidermal growth factor. The data suggest that the catalytic sites of these three tyrosine kinases are similar and that insulin activates its receptor kinase by increasing the Vmax.     

The GppNHp-activated adenylyl cyclase complex from turkey erythrocyte membranes can be isolated with its beta gamma subunits.

The adenylyl cyclase complex, derived from turkey erythrocyte membranes, was activated using guanosine 5'-[beta, gamma-imido]triphosphate (Gpp[NH]p) and separated under low-detergent and low-salt conditions using conventional molecular-sieve chromatography followed by high-pressure ion-exchange and molecular-sieve chromatography. Although the complex remains activated with Gpp[NH]p throughout the isolation, the beta gamma subunits copurify with the cyclase. The stoichiometry of the cyclase to the alpha subunit of the stimulatory guanosine-nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (alpha s) to the beta subunit is close to unity, demonstrating that the beta gamma subunits do not dissociate from the Gs.cyclase complex (Gs, guanosine-nucleotide-binding regulatory protein) upon activation of the enzyme. If the final purification step was performed at high-salt concentrations, the beta gamma subunits could be separated from the alpha s.cyclase complex. Previously reported results on bovine brain cyclase also showed that the Gs.cyclase complex remains intact subsequent to activation by hormone and Gpp[NH]p [Marbach, I., Bar-Sinai, A., Minich, M. and Levitzki, A. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 9999-10,004]. These results, using adenylyl cyclase from two different sources, support our previous kinetic experiments which first suggested that beta gamma subunits are not released from Gs upon cyclase activation. We, therefore, argue that the mode of adenylyl cyclase inhibition by the inhibitory guanosine-nucleotide-binding regulatory protein cannot be via shifting the alpha s to beta gamma equilibrium as is commonly believed, and an alternate hypothesis is proposed.     

Epidermal growth factor dependent phosphorylation of a 35-kilodalton protein in placental membranes

In human placental membranes isolated in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated the [gamma-32P]ATP-dependent phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on the 170-kilodalton (kDa) EGF receptor and on a 35-kDa protein. The initial rate of phosphorylation of these proteins in the presence of EGF was 5.2 and 3.5 nmol of phosphate min-1 (mg of receptor protein)-1, and this was approximately 10- and 6-fold higher than the basal rate, respectively. Half-maximal phosphorylation of both proteins occurred at about 2.5 nM EGF. In the presence of p-nitrophenyl phosphate, EGF stimulated the phosphorylation of the 35-kDa protein but not the EGF receptor, suggesting that hormone-stimulated autophosphorylation of the receptor/kinase was not required for kinase activation. The 35-kDa protein exists in two forms: (1) 35Keluate, which was associated with the membrane in the presence of Ca2+ but was eluted with EDTA, and (2) 35Kmemb, which was not eluted from membranes with EDTA. Both forms were immunologically related to a 35-kDa protein previously isolated from A431 cells. Antiserum against the 35-kDa protein also reacted with a protein with an apparent size of 66 kDa that was phosphorylated in an EGF-dependent manner. In phosphorylation reactions performed in the presence of Mg2+, Ca2+ was required for phosphorylation of the 35Keluate form, but Ca2+ was not required for phosphorylation of the 35Kmemb form. Phosphorylation appears to change the membrane-binding properties of the 35Kmemb form because 32P-labeled 35Kmemb could be eluted from the membrane by EDTA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Purification and structural study of the beta form of human cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor.

The beta form of human cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor (human PKIbeta), a novel heat-stable protein, was isolated with high yield using a bacterial expression system. Assays of PKI activity demonstrated that purified PKIbeta inhibits the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy and CD experiments implied that human PKIbeta contained only small amounts of alpha-helix and beta-structures, but large amounts of random coil and turn structures, which may explain its high thermostability. The details of its conformational changes in response to heat were studied by CD experiments for the first time, revealing that the protein unfolded at high temperature and refolded when decreased to room temperature.     

Purification of glycoproteins IIb and III from human platelet plasma membranes and characterization of a calcium-dependent glycoprotein IIb-III complex

Human platelet membrane glycoproteins IIb and III are two major integral membrane components that have been identified as sites mediating thrombin-induced aggregation. For purposes of our study, glycoproteins IIb and III were solubilized by extracting platelet plasma membranes with a buffer containing 0.1% Triton X-100 and were separated by gel filtration chromatography on Sephacryl S-300, employing Triton X-100-containing column buffers with or without urea or guanidine hydrochloride. The physical properties of the purified glycoproteins were: for glycoprotein IIb, Rs = 61 A, s20.w = 4.7, f/f0 = 1.7, Mr = 125,000 (hydrodynamic values), Mr = 136,000 (sodium dodecyl sulfate gels); for glycoprotein III, Rs = 67 A, s20,w = 3.2 f/f0 = 2.1, Mr = 93,000 (hydrodynamic values), Mr = 95,000 (sodium dodecyl sulfate gels). Although the amino acid compositions of the two glycoproteins were similar, antibodies raised against glycoprotein IIb did not crossreact with glycoprotein III. If divalent cations were not chelated in the Triton extract, glycoproteins IIb and III coeluted during gel filtration chromatography (apparent Stokes radius of 71 A) and co-sedimented on sucrose gradients (apparent s20.w of 8.6), from which Mr = 265,000 was calculated. Glycoproteins IIb and III were coprecipitated by an antibody monospecific for glycoprotein IIb. The two glycoproteins dissociated into monomers when EDTA was added to Triton lysates. Readdition of Ca2+ caused them to reassociate into a complex with physical properties similar to those of the complex in the original Triton lysate. The data show that glycoproteins IIb and III are a heterodimer complex, that complex formation depends upon the presence of Ca2+, and that chelation of Ca2+ causes dissociation into monomeric glycoproteins.     

Glucocorticoid binding to solubilized components of human placental trophoblast membranes

We have recently described glucocorticoid uptake by human placental membrane vesicles which is specific, saturable and has a low K (7 nM). This paper describes solubilization of these vesicles with Triton x-100 and successful demonstration of glucocorticoid binding to the putative transport site. This was accomplished by analysis of corticosterone binding to the 140,000 × g supernatant of solubilized vesicles using G-75 Sephadex chromatography. The amount of bound corticosterone present in the void volume was proportional to the concentration of solubilized vesicles. The specificity of binding was tested by coincubation of tritiated corticosterone with 100-fold excesses of various steroids. The relative ability of various steroids to inhibit binding was corticosterone=pregesterone- >aldosterone. Triamcinolone acetonide, and estradiol were ineffective competitors. We conclude from these studies that human placental membranes contain glucocorticoid-specific binding sites which can be solubilized with Triton x-100. It is possible that these sites are involved in membrane mediated transport of glucocorticoids by this tissue.     

Purification of a water-soluble Mg2+-ATPase from human erythrocyte membranes

A water-soluble Mg2+-ATPase previously reported (White, M.D. and Ralston, G.B. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 436, 567-576) has been purified from human erythrocyte membranes. The purified enzyme has a molecular weight of 575 000; the apparent minimum molecular weight was 100 000, corresponding to a soluble protein of the component 3 region. The Km value for ATP was 1 mM and apparent Km for Mg2+ was 3.6 mM. By means of histochemical activity staining in acrylamide gels it was shown that the purified ATPase preparation could be inhibited by Cd2+ and Zn2+ salts, p-chloromercuribenzoate and N-ethylmaleimide, known inhibitors of membrane endocytosis.