Direct amino acid analysis of proteins electroblotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride membrane from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel

The band of appropriate proteins (basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, soybean trypsin inhibitor, interleukin 2, and human leukocyte interferon alpha A) on a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane, which was electroblotted from sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel and then stained with Coomassie blue R-250, was cut out and directly hydrolyzed in HCl in the presence of thioglycolic acid for amino acid analysis. The analytical values agreed with those expected with recoveries of 29-47%, except that the value for tryptophan was very low or scarcely detected. This method was applied to the identification of human growth hormone (hGH) in a partially purified preparation. The amino acid composition of the band corresponding to about 2 micrograms of hGH agreed with the theoretical values. These results indicate that the band on the PVDF membrane can be directly hydrolyzed for amino acid analysis and that the method can be used for partially purified proteins separated using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

An efficient two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method for simultaneous peptide mapping of protein contained in a mixture

A method for simultaneous peptide mapping of polypeptides contained in a mixture is presented. The polypeptides were first separated by conventional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The strip of gel containing these unstained polypeptide bands was subsequently embedded perpendicular to the direction of electrophoresis in the stacking gel of a second gel. The proteolytic enzymes, loaded on top of the second gel, were brought in contact with the substrates through moving boundary electrophoresis. The peptides thus generated were then resolved by electrophoresis in a gradient gel. A polychromatic silver staining method added an extra dimension to the identification and characterization of the peptides in the maps obtained in that specific peptides got specific colors. Moreover, the sensitivity of this method was illustrated by the demonstration that original quantities in the submicrogram range of nonradioactive proteins (exemplified here by the structural proteins of densonucleosis virus) largely sufficed for satisfactory maps. Other advantages of this procedure over current methods included (i) the elimination of the purification step (and consequently virtually no loss or contamination), (ii) that only the strict minimum of material (necessary for the ultimate visualization of the maps) had to be used, (iii) that no special two-dimensional electrophoresis equipment was needed, and (iv) the consistency, speed, and simplicity of the method.     

Polypeptide compositions and NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of proteins in foxtail and proso millets

Seed protein of foxtail and proso millets were fractionated into polypeptides that were analyzed for their major protein, prolamin, and the NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of the proteins were determined. The proteins extracted from foxtail and proso millets were 64.1% and 80.0% prolamin, respectively. The polypeptides of the prolamins were classified into two groups. The major polypeptides of 27-19 kDa were rich in leucine and alanine, whereas the 17-14 kDa polypeptides were rich in methionine and cysteine. Glutelin-like proteins that were extracted with a reducing reagent were high in proline content, the major polypeptides being 17 and 20 kDa. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence showed that the major polypeptides of prolamin were homologous to alpha-zein and a glutelin-like protein containing the Pro-Pro-Pro sequence, like the repetitive sequence of gamma-zein. Although the prolamin consisted of a similar subunit to that of zein, polypeptides with various pI values were found among them.     

Applications of chemical cleavage procedures to the peptide mapping of neurofilament triplet protein bands in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

A procedure for examining possible sequence homology in the triplet neurofilament proteins using a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system is described. Five different chemical reagents (cyanogen bromide, BNPS-skatole, hydroxylamine, formic acid, and nitrothiocyanobenzoic acid) have been used for peptide mapping studies. Potential applications of this technique are discussed.     

Quantitative immunoelectrophoresis of proteins in human erythrocyte membranes. Analysis of protein bands obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

1. We have defined conditions that permit quantitative immunoelectrophoresis in agarose gels of dodecyl sulfate-solubilized erythrocyte membrane proteins. 2. Using human serum albumin, transferrin, MN-glycoprotein (glycophorin) and crude spectrin as test proteins, we found that accurate analyses are possible if samples and gels are 1% in non-ionic detergent (Berol EMU-043) or Triton X-100) and if no more than 100 nmol free dodecyl sulfate is applied per sample. 3. Dodecyl sulfate treated membranes analyzed by crossed immunoelectrophoresis using rabbit antibodies against membrane material yielded optimal precipitation patterns in gels containing 1% of non-ionic detergent. 4. Crossed immunoelectrophoresis in the presence of 1% of Berol revealed precipitates when 10 protein bands defined and isolated by preparative dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were run against anti-membrane antibodies. Seven of these bands showed more than one precipitation arc, indicating the presence of more than one antigenic component. 5. Crossed-line immunoelectrophoresis showed that dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis bands 1, 2 and 2.1 shared common antigenic components. The MN-glycoprotein was present in bands 3, 4A, 4B and 5, where antigenic components of the major intrinsic erythrocyte membrane protein, band 3, were also found. 6. After absorption of the anti-membrane antibody with intact erythrocytes, immunoelectrophoresis showed the disappearance of the MN-glycoprotein precipitates. An increase in the area below the precipitate corresponding to the major intrinsic protein (band 3) was also observed, indicating exposure of some antigens of this protein on the outer surface of intact cells. 7. After absorption of the antibody preparation with washed erythrocyte membranes, immunoprecipitates were not seen in any experiments, indicating that all antigenic determinants observed are exposed at one or both surfaces of the membrane. 8. Our analyses indicate that the peptide moieties of serum lipoproteins do not constitute a significant component of erythrocyte membranes.     

Determination of the genetic polymorphism of the 3d complement component (C'3) by vertical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

A variant of the vertical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method, hitherto not applied in determination of C'3, is used. The method allows simultaneous determination of the C'3 phenotypes and other serum proteins in human blood. In this paper, the influence of aging of the serum samples and of the Tf polymorphism on the C'3 electrophoregram is discussed. The gene frequencies in Mongolian population (MPR) are: C'3S = 0.9605, C'3F = 0.0375, and the rare variants C'3Srare = 0.0013, C'3Frare = 0.0007; in Chukchi these are 1.0, 0.0, 0.0, respectively; in Eskimos - 0.9556, 0.0222, 0.0111; Evenki - 0.9359, 0.0641, 0.0; Yakuts - 0.9091, 0.0909, 0.0; Komi-Zyrians - 0.8507, 0.1493, 0.0; Komi-Permiyak - 0.8176, 0.1698, 0.0068.     

Complete amino acid sequences of the three collagen-like regions present in subcomponent C1q of the first component of human complement.

Possible interactions between polymerized (F-) actin and insulin-storage granules from rat islets of Langerhans were examined in vitro by comparing the sedimentation of the granules in the presence of various actin concentrations. Actin in the concentration range 0.1--0.5 mg/ml produced a retardation in granule-sedimentation rates consistent with binding of the granules to the actin filaments. The interaction was increased by addition of ATP (2mM), but was decreased by CaCl2 (0.1 mM). Binding of granules to actin was unaffected by cyclic AMP or by preincubation of the granules with phospholipase C. Specificity of the interaction was confirmed by the use of depolymerized (G-) actin and of myosin to provide a solution of comparable viscosity; neither of these caused any alteration of granule sedimentation. Possible implications of this interaction of insulin-storage granules with actin for the mechanism of insulin secretion are briefly discussed.     

Molecular cloning of cDNA for human complement component C1s. The complete amino acid sequence

The complete amino acid sequence (673 residues plus 15 residues of leader sequence) of human complement component C1s has been determined by nucleotide sequencing of cDNA clones from a human liver library probed with synthetic oligonucleotides. Much of the sequence is supported by independent amino acid sequence information. The cDNA sequence contains an anomalous "intron-like" sequence, including a stop codon, that can be discounted because of the amino acid sequence evidence. The N-terminal chain (422 residues) of C1s, like that of C1r with which it is broadly homologous, contains five domains: domains I and III are homologous to one another and to similar regions in C1r, domain II is homologous to the epidermal growth factor sequence found in C1r and several other proteins, and domains IV and V are homologous to one another and to the 60-residue repeating sequence found in C1r, C2, factor B, C4-binding protein and some apparently unrelated proteins. The sequence of the C-terminal chain (251 residues) agrees with that already established to be the "serine protease" domain of C1s.     

Complete nucleotide and derived amino acid sequences of the fourth component of mouse complement (C4). Evolutionary aspects

The nucleotide sequence coding for the fourth component of mouse complement (C4) has been determined from a cloned genomic DNA fragment and a cloned cDNA fragment. The amino acid sequence of the protein was deduced. The single chain precursor protein (pro-C4) consists of 1719 amino acid residues. The mature beta, alpha, and gamma subunits contain 654, 766, and 291 amino acids, respectively. One potential carbohydrate attachment site is predicted for the beta chain, three for the alpha chain, and none for the gamma chain. From a comparison with human C4 cDNA sequence an extensive overall sequence homology, 79% in nucleotides and 76% in amino acids, is observed. There is conservation in both the position and number of cysteine residues in human and mouse C4. We compared the mouse C4 amino acid sequences with those of mouse C3 and human alpha 2-macroglobulin and the evolutionary relationship among these three proteins is discussed.     

Characterization of synthetic C3a analog peptides on human eosinophils in comparison to the native complement component C3a

The C3a anaphylatoxin is a potent proinflammatory mediator derived from the complement system inducing biologic effects of human eosinophils like Ca2+ transients and the activation of the respiratory burst. These findings support an important role for C3a in diseases typically associated with a peripheral blood or tissue eosinophilia. Synthetic human C3a analogue peptides with variations at the C-terminal effector domain have been evaluated with respect to their binding affinity and signaling potency on human eosinophils. Flow cytometrical analysis and RT-PCR revealed that the C3a receptor is constitutively expressed on human eosinophils. Peptides bearing an N-terminal 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl and the 6-aminohexanoyl motif were the most powerful peptides tested. Amino acid replacements in the conserved C-terminal pentapeptide decreased binding affinity and functional potency substantially. In addition, synthetic C3a analogue peptides induced C3aR internalization, led to transient changes of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, and did release reactive oxygen species in human eosinophils indicating the in vivo relevance of C3a-related sequences. The tripeptide LAR was found to be essential for C3a receptor binding on human eosinophils. Moreover, the putative binding motif of C3a anaphylatoxin is also crucial for the induction of biologic effects in the human system such as changes of intracellular Ca2+ concentration and the release of reactive oxygen species. This study demonstrates that the carboxyl terminus is important for the interaction with the C3aR and the biologic potency of C3a anaphylatoxin in the human system and plays a key role in the activation process of human eosinophils.     

Completion of the amino acid sequences of the A and B chains of subcomponent C1q of the first component of human complement.

The sequences of amino acid residues 109--224 of the A chain, and residues 109--22 of the B chain, of human subcomponent C1q are given. These results, along with previously published sequence data on the N-terminal, collagen-like, regions of the A and B chains [Reid (1979) Biochem. J. 179, 367--371] yield the complete amino acid sequences of the A and B chains of subcomponent C1q. The asparagine residue at position A-124 has been identified as the major site of asparagine-linked carbohydrate in subcomponent C1q. When the sequences of the C-terminal, 135-residue-long, 'globular' regions of A and B chains are compared they show 40% homology. The degree of homology over certain stretches of 15--20 residues, within the C-terminal regions, rises up to values of 73%, indicating the presence of strongly conserved structures. Structure prediction studies indicate that both the A and B chain C-terminal regions may adopt a predominantly beta-type structure with apparently little alpha-helical structure.     

A comparative study on the NH2-terminal amino acid sequences and some other properties of six isozymic forms of human pepsinogens and pepsins

Six pepsinogen isozymogens, including five forms of pepsinogen A (PGA) and an apparently single form of pepsinogen C (PGC), were isolated simultaneously from the purified total pepsinogen fraction of human gastric mucosa by fast protein liquid chromatography on a Mono Q column, and their NH2-terminal amino acid sequences and some other properties were compared. Upon activation at pH 2.0, all the isozymogens were converted to the corresponding pepsins in a stepwise manner through intermediate forms. The activation rates and the cleavage sites in the activation peptide segment to generate intermediate forms were significantly different among the isozymogens. The NH2-terminal 85-residue amino acid sequences of these isozymogens were determined, including the sequences of the activation peptide segments and the NH2-terminal regions of the corresponding pepsins. Differences in amino acid sequence were found at positions 43 and 77 among the pepsinogen A isozymogens; the residue at position 43 was Lys in PGA-5, PGA-4, and PGA-3a, and Glu in PGA-3 and PGA-2, and the residue at position 77 was Leu in PGA-5 and PGA-4 and Val in PGA-3 and PGA-2. Phosphate was not found in any of the isozymogens. The corresponding pepsins also showed significant variations in properties such as specific activities toward synthetic and protein substrates, pH dependence of activity, susceptibility to various inhibitors, and thermal and alkaline stabilities.     

Purification and NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of human thymidylate synthase in an overproducing transformant of mouse FM3A cells

Human thymidylate synthase [EC 2.1.1.45] was purified to homogeneity and its NH2-terminal amino acid sequence was determined taking advantage of the following facts: i) The source of the enzyme was a transformant of mouse FM3A mutant cells which lacks mouse thymidylate synthase but overproduces human thymidylate synthase. ii) The enzyme could be purified on two kinds of affinity column, Cibacron blue dye-bound agarose and methotrexate-bound Sepharose. iii) The enzyme could finally be separated from a trace of impurities by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel containing sodium dodecyl sulfate. The purified human thymidylate synthase had a subunit with a molecular weight of 33,000, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was subjected to Edman degradation and the NH2-terminal 24 amino acids were sequenced by successive use of a high-sensitivity gas-phase protein sequencer and high performance liquid chromatography to be as follows: Pro-Val-Ala-Gly-Ser-Glu-Leu-Pro-Arg-Arg-Pro-Leu-Pro-Pro-Ala-Ala-Gln-Glu- Arg-Asp -Ala-Glu-Pro-Arg-.     

Studies on the structure of rabbit muscle aldolase: Ordering of the tryptic peptides; Sequence of 164 amino acid residues in the NH2-terminal BrCN peptide

The sequence of 164 amino acid residues in the NH₂-terminal BrCN peptide of rabbit muscle aldolase has been determined. The information has permitted location of the following amino acid residues involved in the catalytic activity or in maintaining the structural integrity of the enzyme: Cys-72, forms a disulfide bridge with Cys-336 in the COOH-terminal segment on inactivation of the enzyme by oxidation; Lys-107, forms a Schiff base with pyridoxal phosphate upon inactivation of aldolase by this reagent; Cys-134 and Cys-177, buried, do not react with SH-reagents in the native enzyme.