Studies on human thyroxine-binding globulin. 8. Isoelectric focusing evidence for microheterogeneity of thyroxine-binding globulin

Highly purified thyroxine-binding globulin from pooled human serum homogeneous by conventional criteria, subjected to isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels in a pH gradient from 3–6, produced a pattern of at least nine stainable protein bands. All of these bands appeared to bind thyroxine. Completely desialylated thyroxine-binding globulin subjected to isoelectric focusing produced the same number and pattern of bands located at a different area in the pH gradient. Thyroxine-binding globulin purified from the serum of a single donor was subjected to isoelectric focusing. This thyroxine-binding globulin had the same pattern of protein bands with the exception that one of the major bands seen in the thyroxine-binding globulin from pooled serum was absent. Several possible explanations for these phenomena are discussed.     

Vitamin A and thyroxine carrier proteins in chicken plasma: steady-state control of the plasma level of free retinol-binding protein and free thyroxine.

1. The binding parameters of prealbumin-2 with retinol-binding protein and thyroxine (T4) revealed the existence of distinct and multiple sites for both retinol-binding protein and T4. 2. From the analysis of binding parameters of retinol-binding protein with prealbumin-2 it is clear that under steady-state conditions about 99% of the holo-retinol-binding protein remains bound to prealbumin-2. 3. Equilibrium dialysis studies on binding properties of thyroid hormones with prealbumin-2 revealed that it has a single high affinity site and three low affinity sites. 4. The occurrence of three carrier proteins for thyroid hormones, thyroxine-binding globulin, prealbumin-2 and albumin has been demonstrated. However, the chicken thyroxine-binding globulin differs from human thyroxine-binding globulin by being relatively less acidic and occurring at a two-fold lower concentration. But the thyroid hormone binding parameters are comparable. 5. Highly sensitive methods were developed for determination of T4 binding capacities of the various proteins and plasma level of total T4 by fractionation of carrier proteins and further quantitatively employing in electrophoresis and equilibrium dialysis. 6. The thyroxine-binding proteins were found to be of two types, one (viz., thyroxine-binding globulin) of great affinity but of low binding capacity, which mainly acts as reservoir of T4, and another (viz., prealbumin-2) of low affinity but of high binding capacity, which can participate predominantly in the control of the free T4 pool.     

New aspects of isolation and purification of thyroxine-binding globulin from human biological fluids

Based on the new data concerning the multicomponent system of thyroxine-binding proteins in human plasma, some methodological aspects of isolation and purification of thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) were examined, and a simple two-step procedure for TBG purification was developed. Normal human blood serum, retroplacental serum and amniotic fluid were used as TBG sources. The procedure includes affinity chromatography and adsorption chromatography on a hydroxyapatite column. A biospecific adsorbent was synthesized by stepwise binding of epichlorohydrin and thyroxine to Sepharose. The yield of pure TBG varied from 60 to 80%, depending on the TBG source used. The properties of TBG preparations from retroplacental serum and amniotic fluid were identical; both preparations contained a pregnancy-associated molecular variant, TBG-1. Two novel serum thyroxine-binding proteins were detected, isolated and partly characterized.     

Role of sialic acid in the microheterogeneity of serum thyroxine-binding globulin. Study by two-dimensional isoelectric focusing

A new technique combining a neuraminidase treatment of thyroxine-binding globulin after serum isoelectric focusing and a second-dimensional isoelectric focusing was developed to study the role of sialic acid in the microheterogeneity of native thyroxine-binding globulin. By showing the change of PI occasioned by the desialylation for each of the bands constituting the thyroxine-binding globulin pattern separately, this procedure clearly demonstrated that the microheterogeneity of the native protein could not be imputed to the varying sialic acid content of the bands only. We suggest that at least three molecules of thyroxine-binding globulin, with probably slight differences in their amino acid composition, are present in the serum, and that different degrees of sialylation ensure greater microheterogeneity of this protein.     

Plasma thyroxine-binding proteins and thyroid hormone levels in primate species; is callithricidae thyroid hormone resistant?

Thyroxine(T4)-binding to serum proteins in primates; catarrhini, prosimiae, and platyrrhini were studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis T4 binding analysis. From the electrophoretic analysis, it was shown that thyroxine-binding proteins similar to human thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) and thyroxine-binding prealbumin (TBPA) were present in catarrhini and prosimiae species, but not in platyrrhini (callithricidae and cebidae). T4-binding analysis also revealed that catarrhini and prosimiae have a high affinity T4-binding protein similar to human TBG. The association constant (Ka) for T4 of the plasma proteins in these species was approximately 2.0 X 10(10) M-1. On the other hand, it was unable to demonstrate a high affinity binding site for T4 in the plasma of platyrrhini species. Both the total and free thyroid hormone concentrations in catarrhini and prosimiae were similar to those in human. Total T4 in cebidae, one of the platyrrhini species, was extremely low. Among 8 animals examined, T4 in 6 was undetectable by radioimmunoassay and the mean T4 of the other two was 2.8 micrograms/dl. However, free thyroid hormone concentrations were similar to those in human. In callithricidae, another platyrrhini species, T4 in plasma was 6.90 +/- 2.11, which is comparable to the level in normal human subjects. However, in this species, high-affinity T4-binding protein was lacking and free thyroid hormone concentrations were extremely high (most were higher than the assay limit). Although the thyroid function of callithricidae remains to be studied, it will be interesting if callithricidae is resistant to thyroid hormone action.     

Biosynthesis of bacterial glycogen: purification and characterization of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase with modified regulatory properties from Escherichia coli B mutant CL1136-504

The l-thyroxine binding site in human serum thyroxine-binding globulin was investigated by affinity labeling with N-bromoacetyl-l-thyroxine (BrAcT₄). Competitive binding studies showed that, in the presence of 100 molar excess of BrAcT₄, binding of thyroxine to thyroxine-binding globulin was nearly totally abolished. The reaction of BrAcT₄ to form covalent binding was inhibited in the presence of thyroxine and the affinity-labeled thyroxinebinding globulin lost its ability to bind thyroxine. These results indicate BrAcT₄ and thyroxine competed for the same binding site. Affinity labeling with 2 mol of BrAcT₄/mol of thyroxine-binding globulin resulted in the covalent attachment of 0.7 mol of ligand. By amino acid analysis and high voltage paper electrophoresis, methionine was identified as the major residue labeled (75%). Lysine, tyrosine, and histidine were also found to be labeled to the extent of 8, 8, and 5%, respectively.     

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate affinity chromatography

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) affinity columns were made by coupling IP3 analogs to a supporting matrix. Sepharose 4B. IP3 5-phosphatase activity. IP3 3-kinase activity and IP3 binding activity from rat brain were absorbed on the IP3 columns. and were eluted by increasing KC1 concentration. This purification procedure increased the specific activities of these parameters 5-200-fold. Thus Sepharose 4B immobilized IP3 analogs can specifically interact with IP3-binding proteins, demonstrating that IP3 affinity columns are a good method for purifying such proteins. Furthermore, our results suggest that IP3 analogs can be linked to other molecules to make useful derivatives without loss of their biological activities.     

Thyroxine-binding globulin and thyroxine-binding prealbumin in hypothyroid and hyperthyroid developing rats

We present evidence based on equilibrium and non-equilibrium binding studies, as well as on immunological techniques, that of the two rat specific thyroid-hormone-binding proteins, i.e., thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) and thyroxine-binding prealbumin (TBPA), TBG but not TBPA is regulated by the thyroid hormones (TH). Hypothyroidism, induced from the day of birth by daily treatment with propylthiouracil (PTU-rats), leads to dramatic and sustained increases of the TH-binding abilities of the sera measured at equilibrium, whereas hyperthyroidism, induced by treatment with thyroxine (T4-rats), leads to the decrease of these abilities. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectrofocalisation of radioiodinated T4-labelled sera, together with immunoassay of TBPA, demonstrate that both effects are due to TBG, the levels of which rise in PTU-rats and decline in T4-rats, while TBPA levels do not respond to either depletion or excess of the thyroid hormones. TBG rather than TBPA appears as the key thyroid-hormone-binding protein of the rat, inasmuch as it alone expresses a regulatory function of the thyroid hormones at protein synthesis level.     

A simple method for the purification of murine corticosteroid binding globulin: characterization of a monomer

A fast and reproducible two-step method with high resolution was developed for purification of murine corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG). The first step was liquid chromatography on a Sephacryl-S-200 column, and the CBG-containing residual was subsequently chromatographed by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). This enabled us to quickly obtain a highly purified protein and the apparently isolated CBG was tested for its purity by sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and sedimentation equilibrium centrifugation. The CBG concentration in pregnant mouse serum was estimated to 0.78 g/l (1.5% of the total protein). The monomeric organization of the protein was demonstrated by mercaptoethanol treatment. No NH2-terminal amino acid could be detected, probably owing to a blocked amino acid. The mol. wt (Mr) of murine CBG was determined to be 52,000 and the sedimentation constant S20 degrees, w to 3.9 S by analytical ultracentrifugation. The protein showed 5 bands when subjected to isoelectric focusing: 3 bands with apparent isoelectric points (pI) between pH 3.15-3.25 and two between pH 3.40-3.50.     

Thyroxine-protein interactions. Binding constants for interaction of thyroxine analogues with the thyroxine binding site on human thyroxine-binding globulin.

The binding constants for interaction of various thryoxine analogues with the thyroxine binding site on human thyroxine-binding globulin have been determined. Equilibrium dialysis, at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C, was used to measure the competitive effects of different iodothyronine compounds on the binding of 125I-labeled thyroxine to highly purified thyroxine-binding globulin. Relative to L-thyroxine, K = 6 . 10(9) M-1, the association constants of some important analogues were D-thyroxine, 1.04 . 10(9) M-1, 3,5-diiodo-3'-isopropyl-L-thyronine, 4.9 . 10(8) M-1; L-triiodothyronine, 3.3 . 10(8) M-1, 3,3',5'-DL-triiodothyronine (reverse triiodothyronine), 3.1. 10(8) M-1; tetraiodothyropropionic acid, 2.7 . 10(8) M-1; tetraiodothyroacetic acid, 2.6 . 10(8) M-1; 3', 5'- diiodo-DL-thyronine, 8.3 . 10(7) M-1; and 3,5-diiodo-DL-thyronine, 7.1 . 10(7) M-1. Calculation of the deltaG0 values for binding of the analogues indicates that a major contribution to the free energy favoring binding is made by the alanine side chain of thyroxine. A change in configuration of the alpha-amino group from the L to D form causes an unfavorable change of 1 kcal/mol in the free energy of binding. Removal of the alpha-amino group as in tetraiodothyropropionic acid causes an unfavorable change of 1.9 kcal/mol in the free energy of binding. With regard to ring substituents, the results indicate that the two inner 3,5-iodines make about the same contribution to binding as the two outer 3', 5'-iodines.     

Genetic studies on human thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG)

Summary An enzyme immunoassay technique combined with Western blotting is described to demonstrate thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) by isoelectric focusing in thin-layer polyacrylamide gels with 8mol/l urea. Quantitative evaluation was by laser densitometry. No genetic charge variants of TBG were encountered in a sample of 840 unrelated individuals from southwestern Germany. There was no correlation between structural and quantitative variations in the TBG protein. Results from a family with quantitative TBG deficiency strongly support the postulated X-linked mode of inheritance. The method described can be considered as an additional diagnostic tool in thyroid evaluation.     

The thrombin-like enzyme from Bothrops atrox snake venom. Properties of the enzyme purified by affinity chromatography on p-aminobenzamidine-substituted agarose.

The trhombin-like activities from the snake venoms of two subspecies of Bothrops atrox, moojeni (type I) and marajoensis (type II), were purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography on a support consisting of the inhibitor, p-aminobenzamidine, linked to Sepharose 4B with a spacer of diaminodipropylaminosuccinate. At room temperature the enzyme was not bound to the affinity support but rather was retarded in relation to the unbound protein. As a result the thrombin-like activity eluted in a large volume following the main protein fraction. However, at 4 degrees the enzyme was absorbed to the affinity support and could be eluted specifically with the ligand benzamidine (0.15 M). Optimal conditions for column loading and washing were 0.05 M Tris.HCl/0.4 M NaCl, pH 9.0 at 4 degrees. The type I enzyme isolated in this manner showed a single major band on pH 8.9 disc gel electrophoresis as well as two minor bands. Further purification by isoelectric focusing yielded one major and two minor components. All three protein fractions had identical thrombin-like activities and amino acid composition. The major band had a specific activity of 210 to 230 NIH thrombin units/mg, a S20, w of 2.65 S, a molecular weight of 29,000, and an E1% 280 of 15.6. This protein has a carbohydrate content, measured as hexose, glucosamine, and sialic acid, of 27%. From the amino acid and carbohydrate composition a partial specific volume of 0.700 ml/g was calculated. The type I enzyme, purified on affinity chromatography only, did not activate Factor XIII and was free of thromboplastin-like activity. The type II enzyme behaved very differently from the type I on pH 8.9 polyacrylamide disc gels yielding two major bands and two minor bands. The relative amounts of these four bands were not a function of purity. The type II enzyme had a specific activity of 650 to 700 NIH thrombin units/mg, a S20, w of 2.60, and a molecular weight of 31,400.     

Purification of ram seminal plasma acid alpha-glucosidase

1. Ram seminal plasma alpha-glucosidase has been purified in order to increase our knowledge of this enzyme and of its role in epididymal physiology. 2. Since the enzyme behaved differently from other known acid alpha-glucosidases and was not affinity-adsorbed on dextran gels, another approach had to be used. 3. The final procedure included an ethanol precipitation step, sequential chromatography on hydroxylapatite and DEAE Sepharose CL-6B, isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels and ultrafiltration. 4. The resulting purification factor of alpha-glucosidase was 9822 with an overall yield of 5%. 5. The purified material consisted of several isoforms with a mol. wt of 105,000 and isoelectric points varying between 4 and 5.     

Ca2+-binding protein from human kidney. Purification and properties.

A Ca2+-binding protein (CaBP) from human kidney was purified by two different procedures. The first involved heat-precipitation of a kidney cytosol fraction followed by gel filtration and chromatofocusing. This resulted in a 200-fold increase in the specific Ca2+-binding activity with a yield of 10%. A specific antibody was raised against the purified CaBP, as demonstrated by one precipitate in crossed immunoelectrophoresis of a kidney cytosol fraction. The antibody was coupled to Sepharose 4B and CaBP was then purified by immunoadsorbent chromatography. Applying this technique, a 500-fold purification of CaBP with a yield of 50% was obtained. Both preparations appeared homogeneous in crossed immunoelectrophoresis against a polyvalent antiserum and migrated as a single band corresponding to a mol.wt. of 26000 on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. In gel filtration under non-denaturing conditions CaBP was eluted corresponding to a mol.wt. of 28000. The association constant for the high-affinity Ca2+-binding sites of CaBP was estimated by gel filtration to be 0.1 X 10(6)M-1, and the protein displayed Ca2+-dependent electrophoretic mobility, with more rapid anodic migration in the presence of EDTA. The protein eluted at a position corresponding to a pI of 4.5 in chromatofocusing. Immunochemical experiments with the specific antibody showed no cross-reaction between renal and intestinal CaBP.     

Affinity chromatography of thyroxine-binding proteins from human serum

The affinity matrix prepared by the attachment of L-thyroxine (T4) to epichlorohydrine-activated Sepharose 4B biospecifically absorbs the T4-binding globulin (TBG), 25K and 80/27K proteins, immunoglobulin G (IgG) and albumin (HSA) from human normal and retroplacental sera. The absorbed protein patterns were shown to depend on the immobilized T4 concentration, pH, temperature and incubation time. The potent eluents desorbing 85-100% of the protein are 1 mM NaOH, 3 M NH4SCN, 10(-5) M T4 or 3 mM 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) for TBG; NaOH, NH4SCN, 3 mM MgCl2 or 12mM sodium cholate for 25K protein and HSA; NaOH, NH4SCN or MgCl2 for the 80/27K and 25K proteins and IgG. Moreover, T4 desorbs small amounts (6-8%) of the 80/27K and 25K proteins, while sodium cholate elutes about 6% of TBG. The eluted from T4-Sepharose 4B and further purified TBG, 25K and 80/27K proteins display different [125I]T4-binding activities within the pH range from 2 to 9 and differ by their resistance to thermal inactivation at 50-80 degrees C. Double radial immunodiffusion analysis with the use of antisera to TBG, 25K, 80/27K, HSA and IgG demonstrated that the proteins share no common antigenic determinants. It was concluded that the novel 25K and 80/27K proteins represent endogenous components of the human blood thyroid hormone-binding protein system rather than fragments or aggregates of the known T4-binding proteins.     

A specific l-tri-iodothyronine-binding protein in the cytosol fraction of human breast adipose tissue

1. Binding of l-tri-[(125)I]iodothyronine to the cytosol fraction of normal human female breast adipose tissue was investigated by the charcoal adsorption method. Equilibrium of binding was reached after 120s at 25 degrees C. 2. The l-tri-[(125)I]iodothyronine-binding component is a protein; this was confirmed by experiments in which binding was totally lost after heating the cytosol fraction for 10min at 100 degrees C and in which binding was diminished after treatment with proteolytic enzymes and with thiol-group-blocking reagents. The binding protein was stable at -38 degrees C for several months. 3. It displayed saturability, high affinity (apparent K(d) 3.28nm) and a single class of binding sites. 4. High specificity for l-tri-iodothyronine and l-3,5-di-iodo-3'-isopropylthyronine was observed, whereas other iodothyronines were less effective in displacing l-tri-[(125)I]-iodothyronine from its binding site. 5. The binding of the hormone by the cytosol fraction did not show a pH optimum. 6. When cytosol fractions of adipose tissue from different females were subjected to radioimmunoassay for the determination of thyroxine-binding globulin a value of 0.304+/-0.11mug/mg of cytosol protein (mean+/-s.d., n=4) was obtained; the mean concentration in plasma was 0.309+/-0.07mug/mg of plasma protein (mean+/-s.d., n=3). 7. The K(a) value of 6.3x10(8)m(-1) of l-tri-[(125)I]iodothyronine for binding to plasma, the similar thermalinactivation profiles of binding and the reactivity to thiol-group-blocking reagents were some properties common between the binding components from the cytosol fraction and plasma. 8. These results suggest that the cytosol fraction of human female breast adipose tissue contains thyroxine-binding globulin; the protein that binds l-tri-[(125)I]iodothyronine with high affinity and specificity appears to be similar to thyroxine-binding globulin.     

Isolation and characterization of alpha-fetoprotein from the mouse hepatoma BW7756.

Purification of alpha-fetoprotein from mouse hepatoma BW7756 extracts was performed using ammonium sulfate precipitations, gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography and isoelectric focusing. These procedures produced a 5.6% yield of alpha-fetoprotein with 96% purity. Polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis, extended agarose electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis demonstrated that mouse hepatoma alpha-fetoprotein migrated at pH 8.6 as a rapid alpha1, or postalbumin globulin. Crossed antibody electrophoresis of the agarose zone containing alpha-fetoprotein failed to demonstrate microheterogeneity. Molecular weight analysis of the mouse hepatoma alpha-fetoprotein on a calibrated Sephadex G-200 column yielded a value of 72 000-73 000 for the native protein. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis subsequently demonstrated a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of 72 000. Amino acid analysis showed the alpha-fetoprotein to be an acidic protein dominated by hydrophobic residues. The total carbohydrate content was 5.5%, and 3 mol of sialic acid were detected per mol of alpha-fetoprotein. Although neutral sugars were the principal class present, galactosamine was the most abundant single sugar detected.     

Specific labeling of the thyroxine binding site in thyroxine-binding globulin: determination of the amino acid composition of a labeled peptide fragment isolated from a proteolytic digest of the derivatized protein

[125I] Thyroxine has been covalently bound to the thyroxine binding site in thyroxine-binding globulin by reaction with the bifunctional reagent, 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. An average of 0.47 mol of [125I] thyroxine was incorporated per mol protein; nonspecific binding amounted to 8%. A labeled peptide fragment was isolated from a proteolytic digest of the derivatized protein by HPLC and its amino acid composition was determined. Comparison with the amino acid sequence of thyroxine-binding globulin indicated partial correspondence of the labeled peptide with two possible regions in the protein. These regions also coincide with part of the barrel structure present in the closely homologous protein, alpha 1-antitrypsin.     

Effect of long-chain fatty acids on the binding of thyroxine and triiodothyronine to human thyroxine-binding globulin

The effect of long-chain fatty acids on the binding of thyroxine to highly purified human thyroxine-binding globulin has been studied by equilibrium dialysis performed at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. At a fixed molar ratio of 2000:1 of fatty acid to thyroxine-binding globulin, the degree of binding inhibition based on the percent change in nK value relative to the control as determined from Scatchard plots was: palmitic, 0%; stearic, 0%; oleic, 76%; linoleic, 69%; and linolenic, 61%. At a 500:1 molar ratio of oleic acid to thyroxine-binding globulin, equivalent to 0.125 mM free fatty acid in serum, thyroxine binding was inhibited by 18%, increasing to 93% at a 4500:1 molar ratio. At molar ratios of oleic acid to thyroxine-binding globulin of 1000:1, 2000:1 and 4000:1, the degree of inhibition of triiodothyronine binding was 24%, 41% and 76%, respectively. The results indicate that the unsaturated long-chain fatty acids are potent inhibitors of thyroxine binding to thyroxine-binding globulin, whereas the saturated fatty acids have little or no effect on thyroxine binding.