Purification and properties of a major isoform of β-1,3-glucanase from pearl millet seedlings

A major isoform of β-1,3-glucanase from pearl millet seedlings was purified following ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration techniques. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 20.5 kDa on SDS–PAGE and was highly basic with a pI of 9.6. It was thermostable with a broad temperature optima for activity ranging from 37 to 70°C and had an optimum pH of 5.2. Mercuric chloride and para-chloromercuric benzoate inhibited completely the enzyme while manganese chloride activated it. Antibodies raised against the purified β-1,3-glucanase identified another protein with an apparent molecular weight of 30 kDa in western reactions. Significance of this enzyme in pearl millet–downy mildew host–pathogen interaction is discussed.     

Purification and characterization of a chitosanase from Serratia marcescens TKU011

A chitosanase was purified from the culture supernatant of Serratia marcescens TKU011 with shrimp shell wastes as the sole carbon/nitrogen source. Zymogram analysis revealed the presence of chitosanolytic activity corresponding to one protein, which was purified by a combination of ion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. The molecular weight of the chitosanase was 21 kDa and 18 kDa estimated by SDS–PAGE and gel-filtration, respectively. The optimum pH, optimum temperature, pH stability, and thermal stability of the chitosanase were 5, 50 °C, pH 4–8, and <50 °C, respectively. The chitosanase was inhibited completely by EDTA, Mn²⁺, and Fe²⁺. The results of peptide mass mapping showed that three tryptic peptides of the chitosanase were identical to a chitin-binding protein Cbp21 from S. marcescens (GenBank accession number gi58177632) with 63% sequence coverage.     

Evaluation of modified chitosan as matrix for hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Chitosan beads were modified with glutaraldehyde and modified chitosan was investigated as matrix for hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The influence of temperature, type of salt and its ionic strength on the adsorption of -galactosidase was studied. -Galactosidase was found to bind in presence of high concentration of ammonium sulphate (3 M, w/v) and 90% of the bound enzyme was eluted with decreasing salt concentration in presence of 10% ethylene glycol. Attempt was made to purify -galactosidase from modified chitosan, -galactosidase showed 1.7-fold purification with 43.96% recovery of enzyme activity. The SDS–PAGE analysis of enzyme showed considerable purification and its molecular weight was found to be 63–64 kDa. Unlike other chromatographic matrices, the prepared chitosan beads were used five times. The results showed that purification and recovery of the enzyme did not change even when column size was increased.     

Purification, characterization and synergistic activity of β-1,3-glucanase and antibiotic extract from an antagonistic Bacillus subtilis NSRS 89-24 against rice blast and sheath blight

Antifungal compounds in the culture filtrate from Bacillus subtilis NSRS 89-24 that inhibited the growth of Pyricularia grisea and Rhizoctonia solani were mainly heat stable as the filter sterilized culture filtrate showed higher activity than an autoclaved one. The heat stable and labile components were due to an antibiotic and a β-1,3-glucanase, respectively. This β-1,3-glucanase was purified and characterized. Glucanase activity in the culture medium of B. subtilis NSRS 89-24 was inducible in the presence of 0.3% chitin, reaching a maximum on day 5. After purification, activity was associated with a protein of molecular mass of approximately 95.5 kDa by both gel filtration and native PAGE. Two major bands of M_r 64.6 and 32.4 kDa were revealed by SDS–PAGE. The enzyme had a K_m of 0.9 mg/ml, and V_max of 0.11 U, the optimal pH was 6.5–9.5 and was stable up to 50 °C. Both the pure enzyme and the antibiotic extract from the culture filtrate of the B. subtilis separately inhibited R. solani and P. grisea with MIC values of 12.5 and 6.25 mU/ml and 3.13 and 1.56 μg/ml, respectively. The glucanase enzyme in combination with the antibiotic showed a strong synergistic inhibitory effect on the hyphal growth of both fungi.     

Purification and characterization of extracellular chitinase from Aeromonas schubertii

A locally isolated stain Aeromonas schubertii was cultured and induced by powdered chitin for the production of chitinases. Extracellular proteins were purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis to remove salts, and then preparative isoelectric focusing (IEF) to yield several chitinases. The purified enzymes were analyzed by SDS–PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) with and without glycol chitin and were found to be SDS-resistant. The chitinase present in the highest abundance was the one with an estimated molecular weight of 75 kDa. The Michaelis constant and turnover number were determined to be 0.29 mM and 1 s⁻¹, respectively, for this enzyme using colloidal chitin azure as the substrate. However, the ethanol treatment of this enzyme could significantly increase its chitinolytic activity. Other chitinases obtained in the same IEF fraction were determined to have molecular weights of ca. 30, 38, and 110 kDa. Since the proteins with highest chitinase activity were collected from IEF fraction tube with pH value of 4.8, those chitinase were believed to be acidic. An activity assay method using colloidal chitin azure as the substrate was recommended since it possessed a broader range of linearity in comparison with conventional reducing sugar equivalent method.     

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from the newt Pleurodeles waltl. Protein purification and characterization of a GapC gene

The NAD(+)-dependent cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, EC 1.2.1.12) has been purified to homogeneity from skeletal muscle of the newt Pleurodeles waltl (Amphibia, Urodela). The purification procedure including ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by Blue Sepharose CL-6B chromatography resulted in a 24-fold increase in specific activity and a final yield of approximately 46%. The native protein exhibited an apparent molecular weight of approximately 146 kDa with absolute specificity for NAD(+). Only one GAPDH isoform (pI 7.57) was obtained by chromatofocusing. The enzyme is an homotetrameric protein composed of identical subunits with an apparent molecular weight of approximately 37 kDa. Monospecific polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbits against the purified newt GAPDH immunostained a single 37-kDa GAPDH band in extracts from different tissues blotted onto nitrocellulose. A 510-bp cDNA fragment that corresponds to an internal region of a GapC gene was obtained by RT-PCR amplification using degenerate primers. The deduced amino acid sequence has been used to establish the phylogenetic relationships of the Pleurodeles enzyme--the first GAPDH from an amphibian of the Caudata group studied so far--with other GAPDHs of major vertebrate phyla.     

A non-denaturing gel electrophoresis system for the purification of membrane bound proteins

A new method is described for the purification of a membrane bound glycoprotein, the kappa opioid receptor from human placental tissue. The method uses preparative slab-gel electrophoresis in the presence of the non-denaturing detergent CHAPS. A linear relationship between log molecular weight and SDS PAGE electrophoretic mobility of known molecular weight markers, in the presence of CHAPS, is observed. Using this method, we were able partially to purify an 3H-etorphine binding glycoprotein, from placental villus tissue, with an apparent molecular weight range of 60-70,000. The iodinated glycoprotein migrates in SDS PAGE with an apparent molecular weight of 63,000. This method may be useful for the isolation of membrane bound proteins, especially when an affinity ligand is not available.     

Identification of DNA ligase I related polypeptides in three different human cells

Partial purification of the DNA ligase from three human tissues (liver, thymus and lymphoblasts) revealed that each cell type contains several different polypeptides bearing a DNA ligase I activity. Their apparent molecular weights estimated after SDS PAGE, 130 kDa, 100 kDa and 80 kDa, are in agreement with previous reports. These polypeptides are related by proteolysis to a single higher molecular weight protein of 200 kDa which does not show DNA ligase activity but that could be a preprotein.     

Lipophorin as a yolk protein precursor in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti

We examined expression of the lipophorin (Lp) gene, lipophorin (Lp) synthesis and secretion in the mosquito fat body, as well as dynamic changes in levels of this lipoprotein in the hemolymph and ovaries, during the first vitellogenic cycle of females of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Lipophorin was purified by potassium bromide (KBr) density gradient ultracentrifugation and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE). Polyclonal antibodies were produced against individual Lp apoproteins, apolipoprotein-I (apoLp-I) and apolipoprotein-II (apoLp-II), with molecular weights of 240 and 75 kDa, respectively. We report here that in the mosquito A. aegypti, Lp was synthesized by the fat body, with a low level of the Lp gene expression and protein synthesis being maintained in pre- and postvitellogenic females. Following a blood meal, the Lp gene expression and protein synthesis were significantly upregulated. Our findings showed that the fat body levels of Lp mRNA and the rate of Lp secretion by this tissue reached their maximum at 18 h post-blood meal (PMB). 20-Hydroxyecdysone was responsible for an increase in the Lp gene expression and Lp protein synthesis in the mosquito fat body. Finally, the immunocytochemical localization of Lp showed that in vitellogenic female mosquitoes, this protein was accumulated by developing oocytes where it was deposited in yolk granules.     

Identification and partial purification of DnaK homologue from extremely halophilic archaebacteria, Halobacterium cutirubrum

The levels of synthesis of six proteins were increased at elevated growth temperature of the extremely halophilic archaebacterium Halobacterium cutirubrum. One of these proteins, with an apparent molecular mass of 97 kDa on sodium dodecylsulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE), bound to an ATP-agarose column in the presence of 4 M NaCl, but not in the absence of salt, indicating that this protein retained its ATP-binding activity only at high salt concentration. The NH₂-terminal sequence of this protein and the internal sequences of the tryptic peptides covering 1/3 of the total number of residues coincided with that deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the dnaK gene isolated from H. cutirubrum. The results strongly suggest that this apparent 97-kDa protein is the gene product of dnaK, although the molecular mass calculated from the nucleotide sequence is only 68,495, much smaller than the value of this protein determined by SDS–PAGE. Ferguson plot analysis indicated that this protein showed anomalous mobility on SDS–PAGE. We have purified DnaK homologue to greater than 90% homogeneity with stepwise elution from an ATP-agarose column.     

Carbohydrate-binding proteins of tumor lines with different growth properties

Summary A tumor model system of clones of myeloproliferative sarcoma virus (MPV)-transformed rat fibroblasts (NRK) with different growth properties and metastatic potential was studied. The relationship between metastatic behavior and composition of carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins) was analyzed by affinity chromatography. The metastatic variant differs qualitatively from its parental clone in the presence of galactoside-binding proteins at apparent molecular weights of 80 kDa, 70 kDa, 22 kDa, 18 kDa and 16 kDa and of a fucose-binding protein at apparent molecular weight of 42 kDa. The -glucosyl-binding proteins at apparent molecular weights of 67 kDa and 53 kDa and a galactoside-binding protein of apparent molecular weight of 34 kDa, however, are not detectable in the metastatic variant in comparison to its parental clone. In this respect the parental clone shows closer resemblance to the clone 5–8#1 with different growth properties and low metastatic potential than to its own metastatic variant. Furthermore, only the parental clone has a melibiose- and a mannan-binding protein of an apparent molecular weight of 64 kDa and 14 kDa, respectively. Rosette formation as model system for intercellular interaction reveals differences in the inhibition pattern with sugar between the two clones 5–8#1 and 5–20#20, whereas the metastatic variant 5–20#20 (s) exhibits drastically reduced capability to form rosettes. Initial experiments demonstrate the feasibility of drug targeting to transformed fibroblasts via carbohydrate-binding proteins.     

A xylose-tolerant beta-xylosidase from Paecilomyces thermophila: characterization and its co-action with the endogenous xylanase

An extracellular β-xylosidase from the thermophilic fungus Paecilomyces thermophila J18 was purified 31.9-fold to homogeneity with a recovery yield of 2.27% from the cell-free culture supernatant. It appeared as a single protein band on SDS–PAGE with a molecular mass of approx 53.5 kDa. The molecular mass of β-xylosidase was 51.8 kDa determined by Superdex 75 gel filtration. The enzyme was a glycoprotein with a carbohydrate content of 61.5%. It exhibited an optimal activity at 55 °C and pH 6.5, respectively. The enzyme was stable in the range of pH 6.0–9.0 and at 55 °C. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed xylobiose and higher xylooligosaccharides but was inactive against xylan substrates. It released xylose from xylooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization ranging between 2 and 5. The rate of xylose released from xylooligosaccharides by the purified enzyme increased with increasing chain length. It had a K_m of 4.3 mM for p-nitrophenol-β-d-xylopyranoside and was competitively inhibited by xylose with a K_i value of 139 mM. Release of reducing sugars from xylans by a purified xylanase produced by the same organism increased markedly in the presence of β-xylosidase. During 24-hour hydrolysis, the amounts of reducing sugar released in the presence of added β-xylosidase were about 1.5–1.73 times that of the reaction employing the xylanase alone. This is the first report on the purification and characterization of a β-xylosidase from Paecilomyces thermophila.     

Production of monoclonal antibodies against target schistosomal antigen secreted in the urine of Schistosoma mansoni-infected patients

This study was undertaken to develop an immunodiagnostic test of active human schistosomiasis mansoni using a monoclonal antibody which targets urinary schistosomal antigen. Polyclonal antisera raised in rabbits against the processed urine of Schistosoma mansoni-infected patients showed very high and significant reactivity with ES product of ova compared with other different S. mansoni antigens. The monoclonal antibody (4.23) was reactive with repetitive epitopes of S. mansoni soluble egg antigen and ES product of ova with molecular mass range of 65–23 kDa and 80–23 kDa, respectively. It recognised different stages of the parasite life-cycle, with no cross reaction with Fasciola or hydatid antigen. MAbs were characterised by isotyping, immunoelectrophoresis, SDS–PAGE and the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot technique, ELISA, and their recognition of carbohydrate or protein antigenic epitopes by periodate oxidation and trichloroacetic acid treatment of the antigen. It was used for detection of circulating schistosomal antigen in an antigen capture antibody sandwich ELISA on sera and urines of 58 S. mansoni-infected patients, 17 S. haematobium-infected patients, 15 parasite-free negative healthy controls and sera from 13 schistosomiasis-free patients harbouring Fasciola or hydatid infections. The percentage sensitivity of the assay in the serum of S. mansoni-infected patients was 98.4% and in urine 94.8%. A positive correlation was found between the number of faecal S. mansoni eggs and the circulating antigen, both in serum and in urine. Antigen circulating in urine correlated with that in the sera of S. mansoni patients. These data provide a sensitive and non-invasive method almost comparable with the use of sera for immunodiagnosis of schistosomiasis and an indirect way to reflect the intensity of infection. Australian Society for Parasitology.     

A fast and gentle method for the isolation of myrosinase complexes from Brassicaceous seeds

Myrosinase is a β-thioglucosidase glucohydrolase that catalyses the hydrolysis of the thioglucoside bond in glucosinolates, allelochemicals present in Brassicaceous plants. These isoenzymes have been found to form complexes with other proteins; however, traditional isolation procedures involving ammonium sulphate precipitation and/or ion exchange chromatography do not allow for the isolation of these complexes. The present paper reports a fast and gentle procedure for the isolation of myrosinases in the complex form. Partial purification by Con A affinity chromatography followed by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration allowed for the isolation of myrosinase complexes from seeds of Brassica carinata, B. oleracea var. capitata, B. napus and Sinapis alba. Myrosinases in the Brassicas formed complexes of different molecular weight (500–600 kDa, 270–350 kDa and 140–200 kDa) whereas in seeds of S. alba it was only possible to isolate and detect 140–200 kDa complexes. In all species the complexes were formed by isoenzymes with isoelectric points between 4.8 and 5.6 and in some cases up to 6.8. SDS-PAGE confirmed that the myrosinase isoenzymes were composed by several protein subunits of molecular weights ranging between 10 and 110 kDa. The relative amount and enzymatic activity of the myrosinase complexes varied amongst the species studied. The isolation of myrosinase complexes in their native form is of great importance for the study of the hydrolysis of glucosinolates under autolysis conditions.     

The oligosaccharide component of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors from BC3H1 and DDT1 muscle cells. Studies with glycosidases and photoaffinity labelling of intact cells.

In this study, we clarify the structural aspects of the oligosaccharides associated with the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor in two muscle cell lines. Photoaffinity labelling of intact BC3H1 or DDT1 muscle cells with 2-[4-(4-azido-3-[125I]iodobenzoyl)piperazin-1-yl]-4-amino-6, 7-dimethoxyquinazoline ([125I]azidoprazosin) followed by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and autoradiography revealed specifically labelled proteins of molecular mass = 87,000 and 81,000, respectively. Treatment of photoaffinity-labelled receptors in DDT1 cells with 33 u. of endoglycosidase F/ml for 24 h resulted in the loss of the 81 kDa receptor and the appearance of a 52.5 kDa protein. When lower concentrations of glycosidase or shorter incubation times were used, the 81 kDa receptor was converted to a 66 kDa protein. Treatment of the photoaffinity-labelled BC3H1 receptor with endoglycosidase F resulted in the appearance of a 50.5 kDa protein. Neither alpha-mannosidase nor endoglycosidase H had an effect on the photoaffinity labelling patterns of the receptor from the two cell types. alpha 1-Adrenergic receptors, solubilized from membranes prepared from BC3H1 and DDT1 cells, bound to wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose and were displaced by N-acetylglucosamine. Taken together, these results indicate that alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in BC3H1 and DDT1 cells contain complex, but not high, mannose oligosaccharide chains; differences in the composition or number of chains partially accounts for the different molecular mass of the receptor in the two cell lines. The results further indicate that the oligosaccharide chains contribute substantially to the apparent molecular mass of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors, as detected by SDS/PAGE, and that the protein backbone of these receptors is likely to be approximately 50 kDa.     

Presence of chitinase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase in the Aedes aegypti. a chitinolytic system involving peritrophic matrix formation and degradation

Measurement of the hydrolysis of specific fluorogenic substrates by spectrophotometry as well as the substrate activity–SDS–PAGE gel analysis of the chitinolytic activity in Aedes aegypti guts showed that both chitinase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase are present and physiologically active. Both enzymes were present even in guts from unfed insects, but the activities increased rapidly after feeding on blood or an artificial protein-free diet. Chitinase activity was predominantly of the ‘endo’-type, reaching its maximum activity at 36 h and then declining to very low levels after the degradation of the peritrophic matrix (PM). Chitinase assay in gels after SDS–PAGE was a very sensitive method that allowed us to detect two chitinases with distinct molecular weights in the mosquito gut. Hydrolysis of a chitinase-specific substrate by chitinolytic activities in the mosquito guts was inhibited by allosamidin, a potent chitinase inhibitor. Allosamidin treatment led to the formation of an atypical thick PM, while the addition of exogenous chitinase completely blocked its formation. This chitinolytic system appears to operate both on the formation and degradation of the PM. Since the PM is involved in pathogen invasion, these results are important in facilitating a search for mechanisms that can block pathogen development in the mosquito vector.     

Thiophilic adsorption chromatography: purification of Equ c2 and Equ c3, two horse allergens from horse sweat

Purification of two allergens from horse (Equus caballus) sweat, Equ c2 and Equ c3, by means of salt-promoted chromatography on a “thiophilic” (T-gel) adsorbent is described. Immobilization of these proteins was found to be dependent on the presence of water-structure-forming salts where the ammonium sulphate concentration in the equilibration buffer was 2 M. Equ c2 showed higher affinity towards the thiophilic matrix than Equ c3. Their molecular mass (M_r) values established by SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were for Equ c2 ≈17 000 and for Equ c3 ≈16 000, and both proteins showed a low isoelectric point of ≈3.8. Their allergenic properties were also investigated using sera from horse-sensitized patients, where it was demonstrated that these proteins exhibited an IgE antibody binding capacity. In this report we show the broad potential applications of thiophilic adsorption chromatography for the efficient purification of allergens.     

Immunolocalization indicates plasmodesmal trafficking of storage proteins during cambial reactivation in Populus nigra

Background and Aims

Cambium reactivation after dormancy and budbreak in deciduous trees requires a supply of mobilized reserve materials. The pathway and mode of transfer of these materials are poorly understood.

Methods

Transport of reserve materials during cambium reactivation in Populus nigra was investigated by conventional and immunocytochemical TEM analyses, SDS–PAGE, western blotting and intracellular microinjection of fluorescent dyes.

Key Results

Proteinaceous compounds stored in vacuoles and protein bodies of vascular cells and ray cells disappeared within 3 weeks after cambial reactivation and budbreak. Some of these proteins (32 kDa, 30 kDa and 15 kDa) were labelled by lectin antibodies in SDS–PAGE. The same antibodies were localized to plasmodesmata (PDs) between phloem parenchyma, ray cells and fusiform cambial cells. In addition, proteinaceous particles were localized inside the cytoplasmic sleeves of these PDs during budbreak. During this period, the functional diameter of PDs was about 2·2 nm which corresponds approximately to the Stokes'' radius of the detected 15-kDa protein.

Conclusions

Lectin-like reserve proteins or their degradation products seem to be transferred through PDs of phloem parenchyma and rays during cambial reactivation and budbreak. PD transfer of storage proteins is a novelty which supports the concept of symplasmic nutrient supply to the cambial region.     

Purification and mass spectroscopic analysis of human CB2 cannabinoid receptor expressed in the baculovirus system.

The cannabinergic system is present in a variety of organs and tissues that perform a wide range of essential physiologic functions making it an inherently important therapeutic target for drug discovery. In order to augment our knowledge regarding the interactions between cannabinoid receptors (CBs) and their ligands, efficient and effective tools are essential for robust expression and purification of these membrane-bound proteins. In this report, we describe a suitable method for purification of the human cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) to a qualitative and quantitative level sufficient for mass spectral analysis. We utilized a baculovirus expression system, incorporating several epitope tags to facilitate purification and to ameliorate the effect the tags have on CB2 expression and function. Expressed protein encoded by a carboxy (C)-terminal His-tagged CB2 construct displayed a B(max) value of 9.3 pmol/mg with a K(D) of 7.30 nM using [3(H)]CP-55(940), a standard cannabinoid radioligand, and was selected for subsequent purification experiments. Western blot analysis of purified membrane protein yielded several forms of CB2, the most abundant being a 41 kDa peptide. A second protein species was observed with an apparent molecular weight of 46 kDa representing a glycosylated form of CB2. In addition, a CB2 homodimer was also identified. The purified receptor was subjected to mass spectroscopic analysis to confirm its identity and purity. Mass spectra corresponding to the intracellular, extracellular and transmembrane domains were obtained. These experiments exemplify the importance of high-level expression systems when developing membrane-bound protein purification strategies. This work will aid in the identification of receptor-ligand binding sites, the characterization of molecular features involved in receptor activation, and the elucidation of the CB2 receptor tertiary structure.     

Purification of basic fibroblast growth factor receptors from bovine brain

Fibroblast growth factors are proteins which play a major role, in vitro and in vivo, in the control of cellular growth and differentiation of a large number of cells. Biological activities of these factors are mediated by the interaction with specific membrane receptors. Previous studies indicated that the apparent molecular weight of a family of these receptors for the basic form of Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF), ranges from 125 to 165 kDa according to cell species and types. We have purified this family of receptors from bovine brain. We first set up a radioreceptor assay to detect receptors throughout the purification by measuring its ability to inhibit the fixation of radiolabeled bFGF to insolubilized membranes from bovine brain. The purification was also monitored by using cross-linking reagents in order to allow the visualization of radiolabeled bFGF bound to its receptor. The first purification steps involved 2 anion-exchange chromatographic steps, DEAE Trysacryl and FPLC Mono Q, and yielded an enrichment over 500 fold. Affinity chromatography with bFGF immobilized on Sepharose 4B was then performed. Covalent fixation of bFGF to the Sepharose matrix was carried out in presence of N-acetylated heparin in order to protect the recognition site for bFGF on its receptor. These 3 chromatographic steps yielded only 2 bands of apparent molecular weight of 100 kDa and 135 kDa as detected by electrophoresis. These 2 bands are also detected after chromatography on immobilized wheat germ agglutinin hence confirming the presence of carbohydrates on bFGF receptors.