A new method of isolation and some properties of the heavy chain of human plasmin.

A method is described by which the heavy chain of human plasmin, obtained by partial reduction of urokinase-activated plasminogen with 2-mercaptoethanol, is adsorbed on lysine coupled to polyacrylamide. The heavy chain is recovered from the adsorbent by elution with 6-aminohexanoic acid (yield 60-65%). Sulfhydryl titrations of the heavy chain showed that the partial reduction involved primarily the cleavage of the sole interchain disulfide bridge of plasmin. Dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis gave essentially a single band corresponding to a component of about 60000 molecular weight. The NH2-terminal amino acid was predominantly threonine. 6-Aminohexanoic acid at different concentrations caused significant variations of the sedimentation and diffusion constants of the heavy chain indicating inhibitor-induced conformational alterations of the protein. The present results suggest that in plasmin only the heavy chain is capable of interacting with 6-aminohexanoic acid, and it appears that it is primarily this chain which plays an important role in the inhibition of the enzyme by 6-aminohexanoic acid.     

Isolation and characterization of two isozymes of myosin heavy chain from canine atrium

To clarify the characteristics of myosin isozymes in the atrium, we fractionated two isoforms of myosin heavy chain (HC), atrial HC alpha (A-HC alpha) and HC beta (A-HC beta), from the canine heart by affinity chromatography, using monoclonal antibodies specific for HC alpha (CMA19) and HC beta (HMC50), respectively, and then compared their peptide composition and enzymatic properties with those of ventricular HC alpha (V-HC alpha) and HC beta (V-HC beta). The reactivity of these isozymes with three monoclonal antibodies revealed that there are at least three different epitopes between A-HC alpha and A-HC beta. Differences in the primary structure of A-HC alpha and A-HC beta were confirmed by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoretic analyses of these peptides, produced by digestion with alpha-chymotrypsin and cyanogen bromide (CNBr). A-HC alpha and V-HC alpha were indistinguishable proteins, and A-HC beta was also very similar to V-HC beta. Furthermore, there were differences between A-HC alpha and A-HC beta in their Ca2+-activated ATPase activities. The ATPase activity of A-HC beta was lower than that of A-HC alpha and was similar to that of V-HC beta. We concluded that there are two different isozymes of myosin heavy chain in the atrium (A-HC alpha and A-HC beta), as well as in the ventricle (V-HC alpha and V-HC beta), and that A-HC beta is very similar to V-HC beta, the predominant form of ventricular myosin, in its molecular structure and enzymatic activity.     

Isolation and characterization of the O-glycan chain of the human vitamin-D binding protein

On a highly purified preparation, the structure of the carbohydrate chain of the human vitamin D-binding protein was investigated and two genetic forms of this protein were considered (Gc 2 and Gc 1 proteins). It was found that only the Gc 1 protein (Gc1a isoform) was glycosylated, the glycan moiety representing about 1% of the protein. The structure of this O-glycosidically linked glycan was determined to be: Neu Ac alpha (2 leads to 3) Gal beta (1 leads to 3) GaINAc alpha (1 leads to 0) Ser (or Thr). A tetrasaccharidic O-glycan with two N-acetylneuraminic residues was also characterized. The vitamin D-binding protein is a rare example of a serum protein O-glycosylated only on some genetic forms.     

Isolation and characterization of a previously unrecognized myosin heavy chain gene present in the Syrian hamster

A full length (25,000 base-pair) myosin heavy chain gene completely contained within a single cosmid clone was isolated from a Syrian hamster cosmid genomic library. Sequence comparison of the 3' untranslated region indicated the presence of a 75% homology with the rat embryonic myosin heavy chain gene. Extensive 5' flanking region regulatory element conservation was also found when the sequence was compared to the rat myosin heavy chain gene. S1 nuclease digestion analysis, however, indicated that the Syrian hamster myosin heavy chain gene exhibited expression in adult Syrian hamster ventricular tissue, as well as the adult vastus medialis, a fast twitch skeletal muscle. Expression also appears to be enhanced in myopathic relative to control hearts. This myosin heavy chain gene is neither the alpha nor beta cardiac myosin heavy chain gene, but is a unique, previously unrecognized, myosin heavy chain gene present in both myocardial and skeletal muscle tissues.     

人源抗EPO基因工程抗体重链可变区的克隆和鉴定

利用噬菌体抗体显示技术筛选 EPO的人源抗体 ,得到了抗 EPO的人源抗体的重链基因。此抗体基因在噬菌体表面呈现的抗体分子具有良好的抗体活性和特异性。为制备完整的、具有更高亲和力的抗体打下了基础。     

Isolation of human antibody repertoires with preservation of the natural heavy and light chain pairing

The humoral immune system in higher vertebrates is unique in its ability to generate highly diverse antibody responses against most pathogens as well as against certain malignancies. Several technologies have been developed to exploit this vast source of potentially therapeutic antibodies, including hybridoma technology, phage display and yeast display. Here, we present a novel, high-throughput technology (the Symplex Technology) for rapid direct cloning and identification of human antigen-specific high-affinity antibodies from single antibody-producing cells of immune individuals. The utility of the technology was demonstrated by isolation of diverse sets of unique high-affinity antibodies against tetanus toxoid and influenza virus from immunized volunteers. Hence, the Symplex Technology is a new method for the rapid isolation of high-affinity antibodies directly from humans.     

Isolation and functional characterization of the heavy and light chains of human tissue-type plasminogen activator

Two-chain tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), which consists of a heavy chain (Mr congruent to 38,000) and a light chain (Mr congruent to 31,000) connected by a disulfide bridge, was reduced with 2-mercaptoethanol and then air-reoxidized at a low protein concentration and carboxamidomethylated. The two chains were separated by means of zinc chelate-agarose, which was found to bind the light chain selectively. The light chain was fully active on the tripeptide substrate H-D-isoleucyl-L-prolyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide (S-2288) and partially active on plasminogen. The plasminogen activator activity of the light chain was, in contrast to that of two-chain t-PA, not stimulated by fibrin or fibrinogen fragments. Fibrin-agarose chromatography of radiolabeled chains showed that only the heavy chain bound to fibrin. These results indicate that the active site-containing light chain in t-PA needs the heavy chain for fibrin stimulation of its plasminogen activator activity.     

Molecular genetic characterization of a developmentally regulated human perinatal myosin heavy chain

We have isolated a human cDNA which corresponds to a developmentally regulated sarcomeric myosin heavy chain. RNA hybridization and DNA sequence analysis indicate that this cDNA, called SMHCP, encodes a perinatal myosin heavy chain isoform. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the 3.4-kb cDNA insert show strong homology with other sarcomeric myosin heavy chains. The strongest homology is to a previously described 970-bp cDNA encoding a rat perinatal isoform (Periasamy, M., D. F. Wieczorek, and B. Nadal-Ginard. 1984. J. Biol. Chem. 259:13573-13578). The homology between the analogous human and rat perinatal myosin heavy chain cDNAs is maintained through the highly isoform-specific final 20 carboxyl-terminal amino acids, as well as the 3' untranslated region. Ribonuclease protection studies show that the mRNA encoding this isoform is expressed at high levels in 21-wk fetal skeletal tissue and not in fetal cardiac muscle. In contrast to the rat perinatal isoform, which was not found to be expressed in adult hind-leg tissue, the gene encoding SMHCP continues to be expressed in adult human skeletal tissue, but at lower levels relative to fetal skeletal tissue.     

Isolation and characterization of a sulfoxide and a desamido derivative of biosynthetic human growth hormone

Two derivatives of biosynthetic human growth hormone, a sulfoxide and a mixture of two monodesamido isomers, have been isolated and characterized. The sulfoxide derivative arises from an oxidation of Met-14. The major site of deamidation is at Asn-149 with a minor site at Asn-152. In addition, a fraction has been isolated from a sample of human growth hormone that was maintained at 40 degrees C for 2 weeks. This fraction, the isolated impurities fraction, contains the sulfoxide and the desamido forms, thereby demonstrating that these derivatives are the primary degradation products of biosynthetic human growth hormone. The sulfoxide, the desamido, and the isolated impurities fraction exhibit full biological activity.