Chemical properties of a female mouse pheromone that stimulates gonadotropin secretion in males

Female mouse urine contains a pheromone that acts via the vomeronasal organ of conspecific males to stimulate a rapid increase in circulating levels of luteinizing hormone. A bioassay based on this male response was used to test biochemical preparations of female urine. Retention of significant biological activity by the urine after dialysis indicated that the activity is associated with urinary protein. Complete loss of activity from the urine after adsorption chromatography on a neutral polystyrene column suggested that the protein functions as a pheromone carrier. Assay of gel permeation chromatography fractions, before and after degradation of the urinary proteins with proteolytic enzymes, demonstrated that the protein is not necessary for the male response in the bioassay. Its resistance to vigorous proteolytic enzyme treatment further indicates that the pheromone is not a peptide. High biological activity, indistinguishable from that of the unfractionated urine, was isolated in a protein-depleted, presumably low molecular weight fraction containing compounds that are retarded by adsorption on Sephadex. The chemical properties of this female mouse pheromone are markedly different from those of a recently purified female hamster pheromone that also acts via the vomeronasal organ.     

Absence of a 23 kd protein in testes of testicular feminization rat

Cryptorchid testes of testicular feminization rats are very low in zinc in spite of normal zinc status of the animals. Analysis of the cytosol of the cryptorchid testes by gel permeation chromatography showed decreased zinc binding by proteins eluted at fractions corresponding to 30,000 dalton. Further analysis by sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated the absence of a protein with molecular weight of 23,000.     

Characterization of the secretory proteins of rat preputial gland in relation to urinary proteins

The water-soluble proteins of the rat preputial gland secretion were characterized in native and SDS-treated form on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Nine major proteins were present in the secretion. One protein was a glycoprotein of molecular weight greater than 200,000 with beta-glucuronidase activity, and the other eight proteins had a molecular weight of 17,000, but with different charges. Acid phosphatase and arylsulphatase activities were present in the secretion in minor amounts. The isoelectric points of the secretory proteins ranged from 8.5 to 5.3; none of the proteins were lipoproteins, and there were no sex differences. The male and female rat urinary proteins were also characterized electrophoretically. The male rats had two different protein patterns, probably genetically determined. The female rats showed basically one urinary protein pattern, but their urines were frequently mixed with the preputial gland secretory proteins, which most likely played a part in the chemical communication. The mixing could not be correlated to daytime or estrous cycle.     

Nature of the difference in apparent molecular weights between the alpha subunit of urinary human chorionic gonadotropin and the alpha protein secreted by HeLa cells

The glycoprotein hormone alpha subunit secreted by HeLa cells has an apparent molecular weight greater than that of urinary chorionic gonadotropin alpha as determined by chromatography on Sephadex G-75 superfine. The difference in gel elution patterns between these proteins is not observed when the HeLa protein is first incubated under conditions employed to remove sialic acid (53 mM H₂SO₄, 80°C, 90 min). Because the modified tumor protein produces a dose-response curve parallel to those of the unmodified tumor protein and the urinary hCG subunit, and is readily bound by ricinagarose, it is concluded that the antigenicity of the protein has not been greatly altered and that the bulk of the carbohydrate side chains remain intact. These observations suggest that the greater apparent molecular weight of HeLa alpha compared to urinary hCG alpha may be due to an increase in the sialic acid content of the tumor protein.     

Purification,characterization and developmental changes in the titer of a new larval serum protein of the silkworm,Bombyx mori

A new protein was found as a major component of hemolymph proteins up to day 1 of the last larval instar of Bombyx mori, and was named Bombyx mori larval serum protein (BmLSP). The BmLSP was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM-cellulose column chromatography and gel permeation chromatography. The molecular weight of BmLSP was estimated to be 30,000 by SDS-PAGE and 25,000 by gel permeation chromatography. The amino acid composition of BmLSP was similar to that of 30 kDa proteins which are the major serum proteins in the older last (fifth) instar larvae. The 20 NH₂-terminal amino acids were sequenced and found to be quite different from those of the 30 kDa proteins. Developmental changes in BmLSP titer were followed throughout post-embryonic life by Western blotting using a specific antiserum against BmLSP. Within 1 day after larval hatching, BmLSP appeared in the hemolymph and remained at an almost constant level until day 1 of the last instar. On day 2 of the last instar, the BmLSP level suddenly fell and then gradually decreased toward larval-pupal metamorphosis. Thus, BmLSP is a true larval serum protein and is different from proteins stored for metamorphosis.     

Hight performance gel permeation chromatography of proteins

Proteins in the molecular weight range of 10 000–170 000 were separated by high performance gel permeation chromatography. Silica particles with 30 nm or 50 nm pores were derivatized with glycidoxy-propyltrimethoxysilane and used as support. The proteins were eluted with 50% formic acid. A protein fraction which induces endodermal and mesodermal tissues in amphibian gastrula ectoderm was purified by this method.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of proteins by gel permeation chromatography

The ability of two high-performance liquid chromatography gel permeation columns to separate proteins was evaluated. These columns gave satisfactory molecular weight separations for some, but not all, proteins tested. These results indicate that there are limitations in confidence of molecular weight determinations made by this technique.     

Characterization of a trypsin inhibitor from equine urine.

A trypsin inhibitor was isolated from pregnant mares' urine by adsorption on bentonite and elution with aqueous pyridine followed by batch DEAE-cellulose treatment and column chromatography. Final purification to an electrophoretically homogenous glycoprotein was achieved by gel permeation chromatography. This equine urinary trypsin inhibitor (E-UTI) is acid- and heat-stable, has a molecular weight of 22 to 23 kDa, an isoelectric point of 4.55, forms a 1:1 molar complex with trypsin and has serine as its N-terminal amino acid. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of this protein is almost identical with that of EI-14, the inhibitor obtained from horse serum by tryptic treatment, except for two extra amino acid residues, Ser-Lys- on the N-terminal end of E-UTI. In its isoelectric point E-UTI differs from EI-14 and the inhibitor from human urine.     

Novel thick filament protein of chicken pectoralis muscle: the 86 kd protein. I. Purification and characterization

A new thick-filament-associated protein, the 86 kd protein, of chicken pectoralis major muscle was isolated from a crude C-protein preparation by a method similar to that used to purify H-protein from rabbit skeletal muscle. However, the protein with an apparent Mr of 86,000 and 370,000 as estimated by gel electrophoresis and gel permeation, respectively, is not related to C-protein and differs from rabbit H-protein by its elution behaviour from hydroxyapatite columns, by its molecular weight, ultraviolet light spectrum, amino acid composition and localization, and by its amount present in myofibrils. The amino acid composition reveals a high content of proline and gel permeation indicates an either highly asymmetric or polymeric structure of the molecule. Antibodies raised in rabbits against the 86 kd protein were demonstrated by double immunodiffusion and immunoblotting experiments to be specific for this protein. They show no cross-reactivity with any other myofibrillar protein of chicken pectoralis muscle, e.g. myosin, M-band proteins, titin or C-protein, nor did they exhibit a significant cross-reactivity with H-protein from rabbit. The 86 kd protein, which has been purified also by antibody affinity chromatography from a freshly prepared Guba-Straub extract of washed myofibrils, is a specific myofibrillar component located within each half of the A-band.     

Different techniques for urinary protein analysis of normal and lung cancer patients

Many components in urine are useful in clinical diagnosis and urinary proteins are known as important components to define many diseases such as proteinuria, kidney, bladder and urinary tract diseases. In this study, we focused on the comparison of different sample preparation methods for isolating urinary proteins prior to protein analysis of pooled healthy and lung cancer patient samples. Selective method was used for preliminary investigation of some putative urinary protein markers. Urine samples were passed first through a gel filtration column (PD-10 desalting column) to remove high salts and subsequently concentrated. Remaining interferences were removed by ultrafiltration or four precipitation methods. The analysis of urinary proteins by high-performance liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed many similarities in profiles among preparation methods and a few profiles were different between normal and lung cancer patients. In contrast, the results of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) showed more distinctly different protein patterns. Our finding showed that the sequential preparation of urinary proteins by gel filtration and ultrafiltration could retain most urinary proteins which demonstrated the highest protein spots on 2-D gels and able to identify preliminary urinary protein markers related to cancer. Although sequential preparation of urine samples by gel filtration and protein precipitation resulted in low amounts of proteins on 2-D gels, high Mr proteins were easily detected. Therefore, there are alternative choices for urine sample preparation for studying the urinary proteome and identifying urinary protein markers important for further preclinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications.     

Characterization of two molecular weight classes of cadmium binding proteins from the mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.)

Inducible cadmium binding proteins (Cd-BP) in the mussel, Mytilus edulis, were resolved into two molecular weight components by gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-75. Each of these two molecular weight components was further resolved into four subcomponents by DEAE ion exchange chromatography. All eight subcomponents bound cadmium and exhibited significant u.v. absorption at 254 and little absorption at 280 nm. Based on amino acid composition analysis two classes of proteins were identified, one having higher cysteine (approximately 25 mole %) and lower serine and glutamic acid contents compared to the other class.     

Proteins Released from Myofibrils by CASF (Ca2+-activated sarcoplasmic factor) and Trypsin

The nature of the soluble proteins and peptides released from myofibrils by treatment with CASF (Ca²⁺-activated sarcoplasmic factor) was investigated by using Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in both a nondenaturing and a denaturing (sodium dodecyl sulfate=SDS) solvent and by using gel permeation chromatography on Sepharose 6B. Both CASF and trypsin treatment cause removal of Z-disks before causing other ultrastructurally detectable degradation of myofibrils. CASF treatment of myofibrils releases a protein that is identical to α-actinin, one of the known components of the Z-disk, on the basis of mobility in Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in a nondenaturing solvent and in SDS and on the basis of elution from gel permeation columns. Trypsin treatment of myofibrils releases a number of smaller molecular weight products that cannot be identified with any of the known myofibrillar proteins. Hence, CASF seems to remove Z-disks from myofibrils by means of a very specific proteolytic activity that releases α-actinin without extensively degrading it. Trypsin, on the other hand, probably seems to remove Z-disks by degrading α-actinin to peptides.     

Analysis of the quaternary structure of the putative HCMV portal protein PUL104

In this report we analyze the UL104 open reading frame of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome that encodes the putative portal protein. An affinity-purified monospecific antiserum directed against a GST-UL104 fusion protein identified proteins of approximate M(r) 73000 and 145000 in HCMV-infected cells and purified virions. Furthermore, using an in vitro assay the ability of pUL104 to bind double-stranded DNA was shown. Analysis under native conditions of pUL104 revealed that the monomeric and dimeric forms of the protein also form high molecular weight complexes upon sucrose gradient centrifugation. The protein has been purified from recombinant baculovirus UL104 infected cells. The quaternary structure of rpUL104 was investigated by gel permeation chromatography and electron microscopy. The purified rpUL104 was found to assemble into high molecular weight complexes, a prerequisite of portal proteins which form channels for DNA import into capsids.     

Low molecular weight polyethylenimine grafted N-maleated chitosan for gene delivery: properties and in vitro transfection studies

To develop chitosan-based efficient gene vectors, chitosans with different molecular weights were chemically modified with low molecular weight polyethylenimine. The molecular weight and composition of polyethylenimine grafted N-maleated chitosan (NMC-g-PEI) copolymers were characterized using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and (1)H NMR, respectively. Agarose gel electrophoresis assay showed that NMC-g-PEI had good binding ability with DNA, and the particle size of the NMC-g-PEI/DNA complexes was 200-400 nm, as determined by a Zeta sizer. The nanosized complexes observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited a compact and spherical morphology. The NMC-g-PEI copolymers showed low cytotoxicity and good transfection activity, comparable to PEI (25 KDa) in both 293T and HeLa cell lines, except for NMC 50K-g-PEI. The results indicated that the molecular weight of NMC-g-PEI has an important effect on cytotoxicity and transfection activity, and low molecular weight NMC-g-PEI has a good potential as efficient nonviral gene vectors.     

Isolation of human complex-forming glycoprotein, heterogeneous in charge (protein HC), and its IgA complex from plasma. Physiochemical and immunochemical properties, normal plasma concentration

Human complex-forming glycoprotein, heterogeneous in charge (protein HC) has previously been isolated from urine and immunochemically shown to be present in low and high molecular weight forms in blood plasma (Tejler, L., and Grubb, A. O. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 439, 82-94). In the present work, the major low and high molecular weight forms of the protein were isolated from plasma by immunosorption followed by gel chromatography. The plasma low molecular weight protein HC and the urinary protein had similar, if not identical, molecular weight, amino acid composition, NH2-terminal and carboxyl-terminal amino acid sequences and electrophoretic mobility. The low molecular weight plasma protein HC carried a yellow chromophore like the urinary protein, but its molar extinction coefficient at 280 nm was lower and its charge heterogeneity less pronounced than that of urinary protein HC. The plasma high molecular weight protein HC had a hydrodynamic volume which was greater than that of monomeric IgA but smaller than that of dimeric IgA. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the isolated high molecular weight protein followed by electrophoretic blotting and immunochemical analysis demonstrated that the protein contained four polypeptide chains: two light immunoglobulin chains (Mr = 23,000), one IgA alpha-chain (Mr = 54,000), and one chain with Mr approximately 90,000 which carried both alpha-chain and protein HC antigenic determinants. Whether the protein HC X IgA complex is a functionally significant part of the humoral immune system cannot be decided without further experimentation, but the complex was found to be completely absent from the blood plasma of patients with a selective deficiency of IgA-secreting immunocytes. The isolated low and high molecular weight plasma protein HC components were used as standard proteins in the construction of a quantitative crossed immunoelectrophoretic assay for the simultaneous quantitation of the two major protein HC components in blood plasma. The plasma concentrations of the low and high molecular weight protein HC components were measured by this method in 13 healthy Caucasians. The results for the low molecular weight protein HC were: mean, 20.3 mg/liter, S.D., 3.2 mg/liter, range, 13.6-26.0 mg/liter; and for the protein HC X IgA complex: mean, 293 mg/liter, S.D., 176 mg/liter, range, 36-620 mg/liter.     

Preliminary purification and characterization studies of a low molecular weight, high affinity cytosolic lead-binding protein in rat brain

Carrier-free 203Pb has been used to label high affinity lead-binding proteins in rat brain cytosol to allow their initial characterization. The low molecular weight 203Pb-protein complex collected from a Sephadex G-75 column eluate has been further purified by Sephadex DEAE chromatography and then partially characterized. The protein has a molecular weight of 23,000 daltons as determined by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and significant levels of glutamic acid (9.3%), aspartic acid (10.8%) and cysteine (9.4%). Western blot studies conducted using the polyclonal antibody to the renal lead-binding proteins showed a lack of reactivity, indicating that the brain protein is immunologically distinct from that found in the kidney.     

Partial purification and characterization of the proteins from the 40-S ribosomes of Artemia salina and wheat germ.

The proteins were extracted from purified 40-S ribosomes derived from wheat germ and Artemia salina and separated by carboxymethylcellulose ion-exchange chromatography. Approximately four proteins from Artemia and four proteins from wheat germ were separated in a state of high purity. All proteins were identified by co-electrophoresis using a two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel system. A total of 30 unique proteins were found for Artemia and 32 proteins for wheat. The molecular weights of all proteins were estimated by sodium dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis. Assuming each protein to be present in one copy per 40-S ribosome, the total protein molecular weight was estimated to be 560,000 associated with Artemia 40-S particles and 550,000 associated with wheat germ 40-S ribosomes.     

High-performance aqueous gel permeation chromatography of human serum lipoproteins

A new application of high-performance aqueous gel permeation chromatography was developed for the analysis of human serum lipoproteins. A good combination of columns (TSK GEL, type PW and type SW) was found for the separation of serum lipoproteins: very low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoproteins. Analyses of serum lipoproteins from individual normal subjects and pathological subjects were performed by this combination of columns. The effects of pH and salt concentration of the eluent on the separation of lipoproteins were also investigated.     

Separation and analysis of azosemide in urine and in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography

A new application of high-performance aqueous gel permeation chromatography was developed for the analysis of human serum lipoproteins. A good combination of columns (TSK GEL, type PW and type SW) was found for the separation of serum lipoproteins: very low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoproteins. Analyses of serum lipoproteins from individual normal subjects and pathological subjects were performed by this combination of columns. The effects of pH and salt concentration of the eluent on the separation of lipoproteins were also investigated.     

Purification and characterization of rat urinary renin

Rat urinary renin was purified by a procedure involving ammonium sulfate fractionation, pepstatin-aminohexyl-Sepharose 4B chromatography, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The resulting preparation was essentially homogeneous, as assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the preparation was estimated to be 39000 by SDS-gel electrophoresis and 40000 by gel filtration. The optimum pH determined with rat angiotensinogen was 7.0, and the Km was 3.6 microM. These properties agreed well with those of purified rat renal renin. The activity of urinary renin was specifically inhibited by anti-renin antibody. These results suggest that urinary renin may originate in the kidney.