Characterization of rat adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase using a monospecific antibody

An antibody to a highly pure enzyme preparation was developed to facilitate detailed studies of rat adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase regulation. Lipoprotein lipase was purified by heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography followed by preparative isoelectric focusing. The enzyme migrated as a single broad band on SDS disc gel and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with an apparent molecular mass of 67 000 and 62 000 Da, respectively. The amino acid composition of the purified rat enzyme was virtually identical to that of bovine milk. A major protein component with no lipase activity co-eluted with the enzyme from the affinity column, but was separated by the isoelectric focusing step. The molecular mass was slightly lower (58 000 Da) but the amino acid composition of this protein was similar to that of the enzyme. An antibody raised against the purified rat enzyme was highly potent and was effective in inhibiting rat heart lipoprotein lipase, but not the salt-resistant hepatic lipase. Analysis of crude acetone-ether adipose tissue preparation on SDS slab polyacrylamide gel coupled to Western blotting revealed five protein bands = (62 000, 56 000, 41 700, 22 500, 20 000 Da). Similarly, following affinity purification by immunoadsorption, the purified antibody reacted with five equivalent protein bands. Fluorescent concanavalin A binding data indicated that the 56 kDa band is a glycosylated form of lipoprotein lipase. Pretreatment of adipose tissue with proteinase inhibitors revealed that the lower molecular mass proteins (41 700 and 20 000 Da) were degradation products of lipoprotein lipase, and the 22 500 Da band could be accounted for by non-specific binding.     

The influence of humic substances on the molecular weight distributions of phosphate and iron in epilimnetic lake waters

1. The influence of humic substances on the association of free inorganic iron and phosphate with material of larger molecular weight was investigated in epilimnetic samples from two humus‐rich lakes of contrasting ionic strength. After modification of the molecular weight distribution of the humic substances in the samples using dialysis and ultrafiltration, the molecular weight distribution of added radioisotopes ( Fe3+ and PO43?) was assessed using gel filtration chromatography.
2. The association of Fe3+ and PO43? with larger molecular weight fractions (>50 000 and 10 000–50 000 Da) was not in general related to the quantity of humic substances of the same molecular weight in the samples. However, the proportions of Fe3+ and PO43? observed in higher molecular weight peaks were strongly correlated to the quantity of humic substances of the same molecular weight in (a) the 10 000–50 000 Da peak in the sample of low ionic strength at pH 5.5 and pH 7.0, and (b) the> 50 000 Da peak in the sample of higher ionic strength at pH 4.0.
3. It was concluded that humic substances promote the association of Fe3+ and PO43? with higher molecular weight fractions primarily by acting as peptizing agents for inorganic colloids containing Fe and P. Association of Fe3+ and PO43? with material of higher molecular weight via the formation of humic substance‐Fe3+–PO43? complexes was identified but only at specific pH and within specific molecular weight ranges for each of the epilimnetic lake water samples studied.     

Purification and Characterization of an Extracellular Protease from Penicillium chrysogenum Pg222 Active against Meat Proteins

An extracellular protease from Penicillium chrysogenum (Pg222) isolated from dry-cured ham has been purified. The purification procedure involved several steps: ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, filtration, and separation by high-performance liquid chromatography. Based on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis and gel filtration, the purified fraction showed a molecular mass of about 35 kDa. The hydrolytic properties of the purified enzyme (EPg222) on extracted pork myofibrillar proteins under several conditions were evaluated by SDS-PAGE. EPg222 showed activity in the range of 10 to 60°C in temperature, 0 to 3 M NaCl, and pH 5 to 7, with maximum activity at pH 6, 45°C, and 0.25 M NaCl. Under these conditions the enzyme was most active against tropomyosin, actin, and myosin. EPg222 showed collagenolytic activity but did not hydrolyze myoglobin. EPg222 showed higher activity than other proteolytic enzymes like papain, trypsin, and Aspergillus oryzae protease. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined and was found to be Glu-Asn-Pro-Leu-Gln-Pro-Asn-Ala-Pro-Ser-Trp. This partial amino acid sequence revealed a 55% homology with serine proteases from Penicillium citrinum. The activity of this novel protease may be of interest in ripening and generating the flavor of dry-cured meat products.     

抗苯丙氨酸羟化酶单克隆抗体的提纯和轻、重链的N端顺序

利用DEAE-52离子交换层析和FPLC的Mono Q离子交换柱,从鼠的腹水液中提纯抗苯丙氨酸羟化酶单克隆抗体,再利用FPLC的Superose 12凝胶柱分离它们的轻链和重链。经SDS-凝胶电泳,氨基酸组成分析和N端顺序测定,确定轻链的分子量约为24 kD,约含有215个残基,轻链的N端的顺序是:D-V-V-M-T-Q-T-P-L-S-L-P-V-S-L-G-D-Q-A-S-I-S-C-R-S-D?-Q-N(D)-,并确认该轻链为鼠KaPPa轻链Ⅱ型。重链的分子量约为52 kD,它的末端被焦谷氨酰封闭。     

Collagenolytic activity in several species of deuteromycetes under various storage conditions

The ability of deuteromycetes of the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Botrytis to retain collagenolytic activity was studied after both 2 and 10 years of storage on a Czapek medium under a layer of mineral oil at 4°C, as well as in silica gel granules at 20 and ?60°C. The enzymatic activity of several species, including Botrytis terrestris, Penicillium janthinellum, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Penicillium citrinum, was retained under both conditions of storage. Aspergillus repens retained enzymatic activity only if stored under a layer of mineral oil. The viability of conidia and the collagenolytic activity of Botrytis terrestris, P. janthinellum, P. chrysogenum, and Penicillium citrinum, maintained on silica gel for 10 years, depended on the storage temperature. The viability of the test strains improved after storage on a silica gel at ?60°C. A strain of Aspergillus repens lost its ability to dissolve collagen at various storage tempeatures on the silica gel. The index of lysis for three strains of Penicillium deuteromycetes (Penicillium janthinellum, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Penicillium citrinum) increased after a 10-year storage on silica gel at ?60°C.     

Purification and properties of a carboxymethylcellulase from phytopathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina

From the culture filtrate of Macrophomina phaseolina, two forms of carboxymethylcellulase were separated by ion-exchange chromatography and designated as CMCase-I and CMCase-II. CMCase-I was purified following a four-step procedure involving gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, Con-A Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography, fast protein liquid chromatography on mono Q anion-exchanger and on Superose 12 gel filtration. The final preparation was homogeneous by SDS-PAGE, isoelectric focussing in thin layers of polyacrylamide gels and immunoelectrophoresis. The enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 5.5 and 65 degrees C, was stable to heating at 65 degrees C for 10 min, and retained 31% of original activity after heating at 80 degrees C for 10 min. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 3.5 x 10(4) Da. A Km of 0.25 mg/ml was determined using carboxymethyl-cellulose as the substrate.     

Purification of a novel 30,000 Da calcium-binding protein from bovine cerebellum

A novel very acidic calcium-binding protein (CaBP) was purified from bovine cerebellum, using 45Ca autoradiography as a marker, through a preparative procedure involving salting out with a very high concentration of ammonium sulfate, DE52 column chromatography, RNAase treatment, and HPLC gel filtration. This protein showed a molecular weight of 30,0000 dalton (Da) on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and of 120,000 on in gel filtration chromatography analysis under physiological ionic strength. The calcium binding activity of this 30,000 Da CaBP was monitored on the basis of calcium-dependent changes in tyrosine fluorescence (Kd = 3.0 microM).     

Purification and subunit composition of a GTP-binding protein from maize root plasma membranes

When frozen plasma membranes isolated from maize seedling roots are thawed, a significant portion of GTP-binding activity goes into solution. The GTP-binding protein was purified by ion exchange chromatography on Mono-Q and gel filtration on Superose 6. Its molecular weight was estimated at 61 kDa by gel filtration. The same molecular weight was obtained upon solubilization of the GTP-binding protein with cholic acid followed by gel filtration in the presence of this detergent. SDS-PAGE demonstrated that the isolated GTP-binding protein consists of two types of subunit of molecular weights 27 kDa and 34 kDa.     

Improved method for rapid purification of protein kinase from streptomycetes

Protein kinase from Streptomyces lincolnensis was purified nearly to homogeneity using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a Pharmacia FPLC system. The procedure used employed column chromatography on DE-53, followed by FPLC affinity chromatography with serine- or threonine-Sepharose (prepared as described in this paper) and gel filtration using a Superose 12 or TSK G3000SW column. Starting with 3.5 g of mycelial proteins, ∼ 1 mg of pure enzyme was obtained. The procedure is simple and highly reproducible. The protein kinase thus obtained was nearly pure by silver staining after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylaminde gel electrophoresis. The purified protein kinase phosphorylated substrate proteins at the seryl residues.     

Characterization of a galactose specific adhesin of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli

A fimbrial adhesin was identified from an enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strain. The adhesin was purified to 740-fold by sequential chromatography on an affinity matrix and gel filtration column in the FPLC system. The homogeneity of the purified protein was established by analytical isoelectrofocussing (pI 7.25). The native adhesin appeared as a high-molecular-weight aggregative protein as revealed by gel filtration chromatography on Superose 12HR10/30 column. However, in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis the molecular weight of the adhesin was found to be 18 kDa and this was further confirmed by gel filtration chromatography on Superose 6HR 10/30 column presence of 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. The N-terminal 15-amino-acid sequence of the adhesin did not show homology with any of the previously reported fimbrial adhesins. The purified adhesin showed adhesion to human erythrocytes in the presence of Ca(2+) (5 mM). The optimum temperature and pH for the hemadhesion activity was found to be 25 degrees C and 6.5, respectively. The inhibition study clearly suggested that the binding site of the adhesin could recognize galactose as the specific sugar. The fluorescence of 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside was quenched on binding to the adhesin and maximum reversal of fluorescence quenching was observed by competitive substitution titration with raffinose. The adhesin was found to contain one binding site per monomer for its specific sugar residue. The association constant and the free energy of binding were obtained as 3.98 x 10(5) M(-1) and -31.97 kJ/mol, respectively. The adherence of the bacteria to HEp-2 monolayer was inhibited in presence of galactose and this was further supported by a significant reduction in the bacterial adherence to the HEp-2 cells, pretreated with beta-D-galactosidase.     

Isolation,Purification, and Properties of Lytic Enzyme from Polysphondylium pallidum Myxamoebae

Two lytic enzymes (enzyme I and enzyme II) that lysed Micrococcus lysodeikticus were isolated from the crude extract of Polysphondylium pallidum myxamoebae grown in the presence of Klebsiella aerogenes by precipitation with protamine sulfate and by chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. Enzyme I was further purified by gel filtration on a Superose12 column, and enzyme II by chromatography on a MonoQ HR 5/5 column and gel filtration on a Superose12 column. Enzyme I was a basic protein, while enzyme II was acidic. The molecular weights of enzyme I and II were about 14,000 and 22,000, respectively by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Optimum pHs for the activity were 5.0 for enzyme I and between 3.5 and 4.0 for enzyme II. The maximum activity of enzyme I and II was obtained at 65°C and 45°C to 55°C and at ionic strength of 0.0075 to 0.03 and 0.06, respectively. Both enzymes cleaved the glycosidic bond of β(1,4)-N-acetylmuramyl-acetylglucosamine of the cell wall peptidoglycan of Micrococcus lysodeikticus. These results indicate that the two lytic enzymes of Polysphondylium pallidum myxamoebae are N-acetylmuramidases.     

The purification and characterization of multiple forms of mouse submaxillary gland renin

Five forms of renin, A₀, A, C, D and E, from mouse submaxillary gland were purified by a two-step procedure including chromatography on the immunoaffinity column and CM-cellulose column. Four renin fractions, A₀, A, C and E were purified to homogeneity by the criteria of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, analytical isoelectric focusing and Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion. All these forms of renin have molecular weights of 40 000 as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 column. No high molecular weight renin could be demonstrated. Individual renin fractions showed similar angiotensin I formation activity, 52–158 ng angiotensin I/ng protein per h. No other protease activity could be detected with hemoglobin or casein as substrate. These purified proteins showed a discrete pattern of migration under polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Under denaturing condition in SDS-gel electrophoresis, all but fraction D showed a protein band with a molecular weight of 30 000. Fraction D showed a major component with molecular weight of 33 000. The isoelectric points of these renin forms varied from 5.46 to 5.76. They all reacted with antibody raised against renin A and showed similar pressor response activity with 20 ng quantities of the purified proteins. The closely related characteristics of these five forms of renin were further demonstrated by their similarity in peptide mapping patterns after limited digestion with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease. The data suggest that these proteins are homologous proteins.     

Purification and partial characterization of a novel hyaluronic acid-degrading enzyme from Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba)

Summary A novel enzyme degrading hyaluronic acid has been isolated, purified and characterized from Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). A combination of affinity chromatography (Con A-Sepharose), gel filtration (Superose 6) and fast protein liquid chromatography (Mono Q) was used for the purification. The hyaluronidase activity was determined by a radial diffusion method based on hyaluronic acid incorporated into an agarose gel. Moreover, the beta-glucuronidase and endo-(1,3)-beta-D-glucanase activities were also followed through the process using phenolphtalein mono beta-glucuronic acid and laminarin as substrates. After the final purification step on Mono Q column, the chromatogram showed three main peaks designated A, B and C. Peak C contained high hyaluronidase activity undetectable in peak A and B. The betaglucuronidase activity was associated with peak A, while the endo-(1,3)-beta-D-glucanase activity was found in peak B and slight in peak C. The hyaluronidase was purified about 85-fold. It had a pH optimum of 5.3, a temperature optimum of 37°C and a molecular weight of 80 000 Daltons. On polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis the enzyme fraction showed one major band associated with hyaluronic acid decomposition, slightly contaminated with a few other components. Isoelectric focusing in combination with a hyaluronic acid zymogram demonstrated one major band at pH 6.7 with high enzyme activity. Preliminary data on enzyme specificity suggest that krill hyaluronidase is a new endo-beta-glucuronidase and support the concept of krill enzymes as a remarkable and unusually effective digestive system adapted to the Antarctic marine ecosystem.     

Purification and characterization of ββ-N-acetylhexosaminidase from the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana

N-acetylhexosaminidase (HEX) from the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana was isolated and characterized. The production of HEX by B. sorokiniana was not altered by growing on different carbon sources. Enzyme purification was carried out by sequential liquid chromatography on Sephacryl S-200 HR, and p-aminobenzyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β- d -thioglucopyranoside agarose. The purification was about 70-fold, with a yield of 41%, determined with p-nitrophenyl-N-acetylglucosaminide as substrate. The enzyme had pH and temperature optima of 4·5 and 55 °C, respectively. The molecular weight of non-denatured enzyme was estimated as 120 000 Da by gel filtration chromatography, and about 55 000 Da by SDS-PAGE. The fungal HEX had glycosylated residues as evidenced by binding to Concanavalin-A. Bipolaris sorokiniana enzyme was also active with p-nitrophenyl-chitobioside and p-nitrophenyl-N-acetylgalactosaminide as substrates.     

Purification and characterization of a low molecular weight 1,4-beta-glucan glucanohydrolase from the cellulolytic fungus Trichoderma viride QM 9414

A low molecular weight 1,4-beta-glucan glucanohydrolase (endoglucanase) (1,4-(1,3;1,4)-beta-D-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4) has been isolated from culture filtrates of the fungus Trichoderma viride QM 9414 by a two-step procedure of gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The isolated enzyme appeared homogeneous upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 2.9, isoelectric focusing in a polyacrylamide gel slab, sedimentation equilibrium analysis and chromatography of the reduced and alkylated enzyme on a column of Sepharose 6B in 6 M guanidine - HCl. A molecular weight was calculated at approx. 20 000 and the isoelectric point was determined at pH 7.52. The purified enzyme was not a carbohydrate-containing protein.     

Purification of nitric oxide synthase from rat macrophages.

Nitric oxide (NO) synthase (EC 1.14.23) has been purified to apparent homogeneity from rat macrophages. The purification procedure involves affinity chromatography with adenosine 2',5'-diphosphate-agarose and gel filtration chromatography on a Superose 12 HR 10/30 column. The apparent molecular weight is 300,000 by gel filtration. On polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate, the enzyme migrates as a single protein band with Mr = 150,000. The purified enzyme is colorless, and an absorption maximum is observed at 280 nm. The half-life of the enzyme activity is 6 h at pH 7.4 and 4 degrees C. The enzyme activity required the presence of NADPH, (6R)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-L-biopterin, and dithiothreitol. Although the cerebellar and endothelial enzyme require Ca2+ and calmodulin, these are not required by the macrophage enzyme. The macrophage nitric oxide synthase (an inducible enzyme) seems to be different from the cerebellar and endothelial enzyme (a constitutive enzyme).     

Purification of Cytosine Deaminase from Pseudomonas aureofaciens

Cytosine deaminase from Pseudomonas aureofaciens was purified about 480-fold by means of ammonium sulfate fractionation, ethyl alcohol fractionation, chromatography on columns of DEAE-Sephadex A–50 and hydroxylapatite and by gel filtration on a Sephadex G–200 column. The enzyme was homogeneous by the criteria of sedimentation and electrophoretic analysis. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 630,000 by gel filtration and consisted of twelve to sixteen identical subunits having a molecular weight of about 45,000. The enzyme catalyzed the deamination of cytosine and 5-methylcytosine.     

Purification and Characterization of γ-Glutamylmethylamide Synthetase from Methylophaga sp. AA-30

γ-Glutamylmethylamide synthetase [L-glutamate: methylamine ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.3.4.12] was purified about 70-fold from a cell-free extract of Methylophaga sp. AA-30 by ammonium sulfate fractionation, Octyl-Sepharose column chromatography, and Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration. Only a single protein band was detected after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified preparation; the band was at a position corresponding to a molecular weight of 56,000. The molecular weight of the enzyme was calculated to be 440,000 by Superose 6HR gel filtration, so we suggest that the enzyme is an octomer of identical subunits. The enzyme had maximum activity at pH 7.5 and 40°C. It could use ethylamine and propylamine instead of methylamine as the substrate, but it could not use D-glutamate or L-glutamine instead of L-glutamate.     

Isolation of lysyl hydroxylase, an enzyme of collagen synthesis, from chick embryos as a homogeneous protein.

Two procedures are reported for the purification of lysyl hydroxylase, both procedures involving (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-agarose and elution of the column with ethylene glycol. The additional steps in procedure A consist of gel filtration and chromatography on a hydroxyapatite column, and in procedure B of affinity chromatography on collagen linked to agarose and gel filtration. The best preparations obtained with either of the two procedures were pure when examined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide-disc-gel or slab-gel electrophoresis, but about half of the preparations obtained by procedure A had minor contaminants. The specific activity of a typical preparation purified by procedure B was 13 4000 times that of the 15 000 g supernatant of the chick-embryo homogenate, with a recovery of about 4%. The molecular weight of the pure enzyme was bout 200 000 by gel filtration, and that of the enzyme subunit about 85 000 by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-disc-gel or slab-gel electrophoresis. It is suggested that the active enzyme is a dimer consisting of only one type of monomer, and that a previously described enzyme form with an apparent molecular weight of about 550 000 is a polymeric form of this dimer. The catalytic-centre activity of the pure enzyme, as determined with a saturating concentration of a synthetic peptide substrate and under conditions specified, was about 3-4 mol/s per mol.     

Isolation of a 110 000 molecular weight protein in the purification of the nuclear chick intestinal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 receptor

A single protein band of molecular weight 110 000 has been obtained after sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 (1,25-(OH)₂D-3) receptor from crude nuclear extracts of chick intestinal mucosa, prepared in the presence of the protease inhibitors phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and ?-aminocaproic acid. The nuclear extract was subjected to a six-step purification scheme, involving polymin P and ammonium sulfate fractionation, DNA-cellulose affinity chromatography, Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration, blue dextran-Sepharose and a final DNA-cellulose chromatographic step. The receptor was obtained in about 1% yield and was purified approx. 3700-fold from the nuclear extract, as assessed by specific activity. Single peaks were observed with ³H-1,25-(OH)₂D-3-labeled crude nuclear extracts on Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration ($\text{Strokes′ radius}\text{= 35.5}\text{A}\text{?}$) and sucrose density gradient centrifugation (3.5 S). Although the identity of the M_r 110 000 protein will remain inconclusive until methods for further characterization are available, it may represent evidence for a higher molecular weight form of the 1,25-(OH)₂D-3 receptor than that observed previously.