Arylamine N-acetyltransferase from chicken liver. I. Monoclonal antibodies, immunoaffinity purification, and amino acid sequences

Five monoclonal antibodies against arylamine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.5) from the chicken liver were established by immunizing a mouse with a partially purified enzyme preparation. None of the antibodies cross-reacted with arylamine N-acetyltransferase from the livers of cow, rabbit, and rat, nor with arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase from the chicken pineal gland, indicating a high specificity of the antibodies. By using the antibodies, two immunoaffinity purification procedures were elaborated: A partially purified enzyme preparation was incubated with the monoclonal antibody, and the resulting enzyme-IgG complex was separated by a protein A-Sepharose column. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single protein band with a molecular mass of 34 kDa in addition to the heavy and light chains of IgG. Secondly, an immunoaffinity column was prepared by immobilizing a monoclonal antibody to Sepharose 4B. After a partially purified enzyme preparation was absorbed on the column, N-acetyltransferase activity was eluted with 1 M NaCl and 1 M urea. The eluted sample contained a single 34-kDa protein. The purified enzyme preferred arylamines to arylalkylamines as substrates, indicating that it was arylamine N-acetyltransferase. The purified protein was subjected to digestion by lysylendopeptidase and separated by high performance liquid chromatography. Partial amino acid sequences of three peptides were determined by a gas-phase sequence analyzer.     

Studies in serum support rapid formation of disulfide bond between unpaired cysteine residues in the VH domain of an immunoglobulin G1 molecule

Recombinant monoclonal antibodies undergo extensive posttranslational modifications. In this article, we characterize major modifications, separated by cation exchange chromatography, on an immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody (mAb). We found that N-terminal cyclization of glutamine residues to pyroglutamate on the light and heavy chains are the major isoforms resolved during cation exchange chromatography. However, using CEX, we also separated and identified isoforms with unpaired cysteine residues in the V_H domain of the molecule (Cys22-Cys96). Omalizumab, a therapeutic anti-IgE antibody, has unpaired cysteine residues in the V_H domain between Cys22 and Cys96, and the Fab fragment, containing the unpaired cysteine residues, is reported to have reduced potency. Dynamic interchain disulfide rearrangement, with slow kinetics, was recently reported to take place in serum for an IgG2 molecule and resulted in predictable mature isoforms. Analytical evaluation of our mAb, after recovery from serum, revealed that the unpaired intrachain cysteine residues (Cys22-Cys96) reformed their disulfide bond. The significance of this study is that correct pairing occurred rapidly, and we speculate that thiol molecules such as cysteine, homocysteine, and glutathione in serum provide an environment, outside the endoplasmic reticulum, for correct linkage.     

Impact of variable domain glycosylation on antibody clearance: an LC/MS characterization

Variable (Fv) domain N-glycosylation sites are found in approximately 20% of human immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) in addition to the conserved N-glycosylation sites in the C(H)2 domains. The carbohydrate structures of the Fv glycans and their impact on in vivo half-life are not well characterized. Oligosaccharide structures in a humanized anti-Abeta IgG1 monoclonal antibody (Mab) with an N-glycosylation site in the complementary determining region (CDR2) of the heavy chain variable region were elucidated by LC/MS analysis following sequential exoglycosidase treatments of the endoproteinase Lys-C digest. Results showed that the major N-linked oligosaccharide structures in the Fv region have three characteristics (core-fucosylated biantennary oligosaccharides with one or two N-glycolylneuraminic acid [NeuGc] residues, zero or one alpha-linked Gal residue, and zero or one beta-linked GalNAc residue), whereas N-linked oligosaccharides in the Fc region contained typical Fc glycans (core-fucosylated, biantennary oligosaccharides with zero to two Gal residues). To elucidate the contribution of Fv glycans to the half-life of the antibody, a method that allows capture of the Mab and determination of its glycan structures at various time points after administration to mice was developed. Anti-Abeta antibody in mouse serum was immunocaptured by immobilized goat anti-human immunoglobulin Fc(gamma) antibody resin, and the captured material was treated with papain to generate Fab and Fc for LC/MS analysis. Different glycans in the Fc region showed the same clearance rate as demonstrated previously. In contrast to many other non-antibody glycosylated therapeutics, there is no strong correlation between oligosaccharide structures in the Fv region and their clearance rates in vivo. Our data indicated that biantennary oligosaccharides lacking galactosylation had slightly faster clearance rates than other structures in the Fv domain.     

N端测序作为单克隆抗体常规放行分析方法的探讨

旨在探讨N端测序作为单克隆抗体常规放行分析方法的适用性。应用Edman降解法、质量肽图法对两个针对不同靶点的单抗进行N端测序,用肽图法寻找二者的特征性鉴别肽段,用离子色谱、毛细管区带电泳和成像毛细管等点聚焦电泳进行异质性分析。Edman降解法显示两个单抗轻链和重链的15个氨基酸分别完全一致,质量肽图法显示二者轻重链的T1肽段分别完全一致,而肽图法和3种异质性分析方法则可对两个抗体进行有效鉴别。由于人源化或人源单抗序列框架数量较为有限,两个单抗的N末端序列完全相同,运用Edman降解法进行N端测序是否能作为单抗的常规放行分析方法值得进一步商榷,同时上述多种方法可运用于单抗的鉴别分析,并可对其异质性进行控制,较N端测序分析更具有客观性。     

Separation of two different heavy meromyosins. Evidence for the presence of myosin isozymes in rabbit skeletal muscle.

Heavy meromyosin prepared from rabbit skeletal myosin by chymotryptic digestion was separated into two different heavy meromyosins by Sepharose 4B-6 aminohexyl PPi column chromatography. SDS-gel electrophoresis of one fraction of heavy meromyosin, which was eluted with 75 mM ammonium acetate, showed that it contained the small polypeptide chains, g3 and g2, as well as the large chains. The other fraction of heavy meromyosin, which was eluted with 85 mM ammonium acetate, contained g1 and g2. We concluded that the two heavy meromyosins arose from two different populations (isozymes) of myosin. No significant difference in Ca2+-ATPase activity was detected between the two heavy meromyosins.     

One-step immunopurification and lectinochemical characterization of the Duffy atypical chemokine receptor from human erythrocytes

Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines (DARC) is a glycosylated seven-transmembrane protein acting as a blood group antigen, a chemokine binding protein and a receptor for Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite. It is present on erythrocytes and endothelial cells of postcapillary venules. The N-terminal extracellular domain of the Duffy glycoprotein carries Fy(a)/Fy(b) blood group antigens and Fy6 linear epitope recognized by monoclonal antibodies. Previously, we have shown that recombinant Duffy protein expressed in K562 cells has three N-linked oligosaccharide chains, which are mainly of complex-type. Here we report a one-step purification method of Duffy protein from human erythrocytes. DARC was extracted from erythrocyte membranes in the presence of 1% n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside (DDM) and 0.05% cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS) and purified by affinity chromatography using immobilized anti-Fy6 2C3 mouse monoclonal antibody. Duffy glycoprotein was eluted from the column with synthetic DFEDVWN peptide containing epitope for 2C3 monoclonal antibody. In this single-step immunoaffinity purification method we obtained highly purified DARC, which migrates in SDS-polyacrylamide gel as a major diffuse band corresponding to a molecular mass of 40-47?kDa. In ELISA purified Duffy glycoprotein binds anti-Duffy antibodies recognizing epitopes located on distinct regions of the molecule. Results of circular dichroism measurement indicate that purified DARC has a high content of α-helical secondary structure typical for chemokine receptors. Analysis of DARC glycans performed by means of lectin blotting and glycosidase digestion suggests that native Duffy N-glycans are mostly triantennary complex-type, terminated with α2-3- and α2-6-linked sialic acid residues with bisecting GlcNAc and α1-6-linked fucose at the core.     

Detection and isolation of oligosaccharides with Lea and Leb blood group activities by affinity chromatography using monoclonal antibodies

Affinity columns prepared by immobilizing monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognize the Lea or the Leb blood group antigens can be used for analytical or preparative isolation of oligosaccharides with the corresponding reactivities. The number of immobilized functional antibody combining sites on a column and the dissociation constants for standard oligosaccharides are determined by frontal analysis. By employing a simple approximation [K.-I. Kasai et al. (1986) J. Chromatogr. 376, 33-47] these parameters can be used to rationally design columns with properties appropriate for zonal affinity chromatography. The affinity for binding of the Lea-active oligosaccharide lacto-N-fucopentaose II (LNF II) by the anti-Lea antibody CO-514 doubles for each 8 degrees C downward shift in temperature between 37 and 4 degrees C. By zonal chromatography, Lea- or Leb-active oligosaccharides are recovered from a complex mixture of milk oligosaccharides containing more than a 20-fold molar excess of structurally similar but antigenically distinct oligosaccharides. The capacity for preparative isolation of an oligosaccharide increases in a linear fashion with the amount of antibody loaded on the solid support. The monoclonal antibodies used in these studies are products of hybridomas derived from mice immunized with human colorectal carcinoma cell lines [M. Blaszczyk et al. (1984) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 233, 161-168]. The experiments establish that affinity chromatography applied to mixtures of oligosaccharides released by enzymatic or chemical cleavage of glycoconjugates may simplify the task of isolating and characterizing biologically interesting target antigens of monoclonal antibodies.     

Structural characterization of the oligosaccharides of a human monoclonal anti-lipopolysaccharide immunoglobulin M

The oligosaccharide side chains of a human anti-lipopolysaccharide IgM produced by a human-human-mouse heterohybridoma were analyzed at each of its five conserved N-glycosylation sites. This antibody also has a potential sixth N-glycosylation site in the variable region of its heavy chain which is not glycosylated. The oligosaccharides were released by digestion with various endo- and exoglycosidases and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis. The antibody has various complex- and hybrid-type oligosaccharide structures at Asn 171, various sialylated complex-type oligosaccharides at Asn 332 and 395, and high-mannose-type oligosaccharides at Asn 402 and 563. Of note is the presence in this human IgM of oligosaccharides containing N-glycolylneuraminic acid and N-acetylneuraminic acid in the ratio of 98:2 as determined using anion- exchange chromatography. Furthermore, we observed oligosaccharide structures containing Gal alpha (1,3)Gal that have not been reported as components of human glycoproteins.      

Structure of the major concanavalin A reactive oligosaccharides of the extracellular matrix component laminin

Laminin, a high molecular weight (1,000,000) glycoprotein component of basement membranes, was isolated from the EHS murine tumor as a noncovalent complex with entactin by lectin affinity chromatography using the alpha-D-galactosyl binding lectin Griffonia simplicifolia I (GS I). Entactin was removed from this complex by passage over Sephacryl S-1000 in the presence of SDS. Compositional analysis showed that the affinity-purified laminin contained 25-30% carbohydrate by weight. Methylation analysis revealed that the oligosaccharides of laminin contained bi- and triantennary chains, the blood group I structure, and repeating sequences of 3Gal beta 1,4GlcNAc beta 1 units. Free oligosaccharides were derived from the asparagine-linked glycans of affinity-purified laminin by hydrazinolysis, re-N-acetylation, and reduction with NaB3H4. When fractionated by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A (Con A)-Sepharose, 80% of the oligosaccharides passed through the column unretarded and a single peak corresponding to 20% of the oligosaccharides was adsorbed and specifically eluted with a linear gradient of 0-30 mM methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside. Further fractionation of the Con A reactive oligosaccharides on GS I-Sepharose demonstrated that 70% of these oligosaccharides possess at least one terminal nonreducing alpha-D-galactopyranosyl unit. The Con A reactive oligosaccharides were subjected to sequential digestion with endo- and exoglycosidases, and the reaction products were analyzed by gel filtration chromatography on a column of Bio-Gel P4. We thereby obtained evidence for a variety of structures not previously reported to exist on murine laminin including hybrid biantennary complex and biantennary complex structures containing poly(lactosaminyl) repeating units. The poly(lactosaminyl) units occur either on one or on both branches of the biantennary chains, as well as in more highly branched blood group I poly(lactosamine) structures. All sialic acid is present as N-acetylneuraminic acid linked alpha 2,3 to galactose.     

Structural studies on sialylated and sulphated O-glycosidic mannose-linked oligosaccharides in the chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan of brain.

We have previously described the structures of neutral and sialylated O-glycosidic mannose-linked tetrasaccharides and keratan sulphate polysaccharide chains in the chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan of brain. The present paper provides information on a series of related sialylated and/or sulphated tri- to penta-saccharides released by alkaline-borohydride treatment of the proteoglycan glycopeptides. The oligosaccharides were fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration, and their structural properties were studied by methylation analysis and fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry. Five fractions containing [35S]sulphate-labelled oligosaccharides were obtained by ion-exchange chromatography, each of which was eluted from Sephadex G-50 as two well-separated peaks. The apparent Mr values of both the large- and small-molecular-size fractions increased with increasing acidity (and sulphate labelling) of the oligosaccharides. The larger-molecular-size fractions contained short mannose-linked keratan sulphate chains of Mr 3000-4500, together with some asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. The smaller tri- to penta-saccharides, of Mr 800-1400, appear to have a common GlcNac(beta 1-3)Manol core, and to contain one to two residues of sialic acid and/or sulphate.     

Characterization by liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry of monoclonal anti-IGF-1 receptor antibodies produced in CHO and NS0 cells

7H2HM is a new humanized recombinant monoclonal antibody (MAb) directed against insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and produced in CHO cells. Homogeneity of intact antibody, reduced light and heavy chains, Fab and Fc fragments were investigated by analytical methods based on mass (SDS-PAGE, SEC), charge (IEF, C-IEX) and hydrophobicity differences (RP-HPLC, HIC) and compared side-by-side with A2CHM, produced in NS0 cells. Primary structures and disulfide bridge pairing were analyzed by microsequencing (Edman degradation), mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF, ES-TOF) and peptide mapping after enzymatic digestion (Trypsin, endoprotease Lys-C, papain). The light chains demonstrated the expected sequences. The heavy chains yielded post-translational modifications previously reported for other recombinant humanized or human IgG1 such as N-terminal pyroglutamic acid, C-terminal lysine clipping and N-glycosylation for asparagine 297. More surprisingly, two-thirds of the 7H2HM heavy chains were shown to contain an additional 24-amino-acid sequence, corresponding to the translation of an intron located between the variable and the constant domains. Taken together these data suggest that 7H2HM is a mixture of three families of antibodies corresponding (i) to the expected structure (17%; 14,9297 Da; 1330 amino acids), (ii) a variant with a translated intron in one heavy chains (33%; 15,2878 Da; 1354 amino acids) and (iii) a variant with translated introns in two heavy chains (50%; 15,4459 Da; 1378 amino acids), respectively. RP-HPLC is not a commonly used chromatographic method to assess purity of monoclonal antibodies but unlike to SEC and SDS-PAGE, was able to show and to quantify the family of structures present in 7H2HM, which were also identified by peptide mapping, mass spectrometry and microsequencing.     

Novel oligosaccharides with the sialyl-Lea structure in human milk

We have isolated four novel oligosaccharides with the sialyl-Lea structure from human milk using a monoclonal antibody, MSW 113. These oligosaccharides were purified by affinity chromatography on a column of the immobilized monoclonal antibody and by high-performance liquid chromatography. The results of structural analyses, i.e., 500-MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, and binding to specific anticarbohydrate antibodies, are consistent with the following structures. (formula; see text)     

Analysis of the oligosaccharides on rat androgen-binding protein using serial lectin chromatography

The microheterogeneity seen when rat androgen-binding protein (rABP) is analyzed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is attributable, at least in part, to the differential glycosylation of a single promoter. Further insight into the chemical nature of the oligosaccharide units on rABP was obtained by serial lectin chromatography. When rABP was chromatographed on immobilized Concanavalin A (Con-A), it was fractionated into three classes: (1) one that did not bind to the lectin (about 44% of the rABP), (2) one that was bound and could be eluted with 10 mM 1-O-methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside (glucoside), about 34%, and (3) one that could be eluted with 0.5 M methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside (mannoside), about 23%. Binding to Con-A indicates the presence of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. Chromatography of the glucoside-eluted peak on lentil lectin (LcH) indicated that the rABP in that fraction contained a fucose residue on the chitobiose core. Chromatography of the mannoside-eluted peak on wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) indicated the presence of rABP with high mannose- (44%) and hybrid-type (56%) glycans attached. Chromatography on Ricinus communis I (RCA-I) lectin indicated a species containing galactosylated complex-type oligosaccharide chains. Treatment of rABP forms with exoglycosidases confirmed the presence of externally disposed fucose, sialic acid, mannose, and galactose residues. LcH chromatography indicated that about 30% of the rABP that did not bind to Con-A possessed triantennary oligosaccharides with fucose on the chitobiose core. About 28% of the rABP was retarded when it was chromatographed on Phaseolus vulgaris E lectin, suggesting the presence of bisected biantennary chains with terminal galactose residues. We were unable to detect rABP species with serine- or threonine-linked oligosaccharide chains in this fraction. Other forms of rABP in the nonretained fraction of Con-A were not resolved. Western blotting did not reveal major differences in relative molecular weight (Mr) among the rABP species; some differences in the ratio of the heavy to the light subunit of the molecule were detectable.     

A simple method for midkine purification by affinity chromatography with a heavy chain variable domain (VH) fragment of antibody

A DNA fragment for a heavy chain variable domain (VH) was prepared from a hybridoma that produces a monoclonal antibody against human midkine (MK). The antibody fragment was produced in Escherichia coli and its affinity for chemically synthesized full length MK or recombinant midkine c-terminus (MKc-half) protein was confirmed by ELISA. An Escherichia coli cell lysate expressing MKc-half was applied to a VH fragment-coupled Sepharose 4B column and eluted with a buffer containing 0.5 M NaCl. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a high degree of purity of the MKc-half protein in the eluent, showing the utility of a recombinant VH fragment in purification of proteins by affinity chromatography.     

Production and characterization of a monoclonal antibody to dog hepatic lipase

Partially purified dog hepatic lipase was used as antigen to produce monoclonal antibodies in mice. In addition to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a reliable and efficient procedure for screening antibodies reacting to hepatic lipase has been developed. A method to distinguish antibodies directing to active site or non-active site epitopes has also been described. We obtained three positive clones that survived after subcloning and expansion. All three monoclonal antibodies possess gamma one (gamma 1) heavy chains and kappa (kappa) light chains. Specificity of monoclonal antibody LDHL No. 537 to dog hepatic lipase was demonstrated by passing post-heparin plasma through its immunoaffinity column. Only dog hepatic lipase was removed by LDHL No. 537 from post-heparin plasma. The immunoaffinity chromatography also demonstrated the co-existence of three enzyme activities (mono- and triacylglycerol lipase and phospholipase A1) on the dog hepatic lipase molecule. The subunit weight of dog hepatic lipase has been estimated at 57500 +/- 600 (n=3) by using immunoaffinity chromatography and the combination of immunoprecipitation and autoradiography methods.     

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to human platelet myosin that recognize highly conserved epitopes within the 50 kDa fragment of myosin subfragment-1.

Three monoclonal antibodies directed against human platelet myosin heavy chains (MCH) that recognize homologous sequences contained within the functionally active subfragment-1, in platelet and rabbit skeletal muscle myosin were studied. These antibodies are distinguished by their affinities to different myosins and their differential effect on various ATPase activities. Epitope mapping was accomplished by analyzing antibody binding to proteolytic peptides of myosin head subfragment-1 under various experimental conditions. The epitopes recognized by these anti-human platelet MHC monoclonal antibodies reside within a small region of the 50 kDa fragment, beginning 9 kDa from its C-terminus and extending a stretch of 6 kDa towards the N-terminus. These epitopes lie between residues 535-586, and are contained within a highly conserved area of myosin heavy chain.     

A complex of platelet glycoproteins Ic and IIa identified by a rat monoclonal antibody

A rat monoclonal antibody, GoH3, recognizes cell surface antigens on epithelial cells in a variety of tissues in both man and mouse. Furthermore, the antibody showed reactivity with endothelial cells and blood platelets. The molecule recognized by GoH3 on platelets was determined by immunoprecipitation, followed by analysis on one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. GoH3 precipitated glycoproteins Ic and IIa from both human and mouse platelets. Glycoprotein Ic consists of disulfide-linked heavy and light chains which both appeared to be glycosylated. As determined by enzymatic digestion followed by gel analyses, both "complex" and "high mannose" type of N-linked oligosaccharides are present on the heavy and light chain of human glycoprotein Ic and on the heavy chain of mouse glycoprotein Ic. The light chain of mouse glycoprotein Ic only carries high mannose type of N-linked oligosaccharides. The N-linked glycans on human and mouse glycoprotein IIa are all of the complex type. The glycoproteins Ic and IIa co-sedimented in sucrose gradients and formed complexes upon treatment of intact platelets with the chemical cross-linking reagent dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate). Dissociation of the complex by chaotropic agents followed by immunoprecipitation establishes that the epitope recognized by GoH3 is located on the Ic molecule. These results provide evidence that the two glycoproteins, Ic and IIa, exist as a heterodimer complex in the platelet membrane.     

Purification of ricin A1, A2, and B chains and characterization of their toxicity

This paper describes a protocol for the preparation of highly purified A (A1 and A2) and B chains of the plant toxin, ricin, and biochemical and biological characterization of these proteins. Intact ricin was bound to acid-treated Sepharose 4B and was split on the column into A and B chains with 2-mercaptoethanol. The A chains were eluted with borate buffer containing 2-mercaptoethanol. A1 and A2 were then partially separated by cation exchange chromatography and the contaminating B chain was removed by affinity chromatography on Sepharose-asialofetuin and Sepharose-monoclonal anti-B chain. The B chain was eluted from the Sepharose 4B column by treatment with galactose and was further purified by cation and anion exchange chromatography; contaminating A chains were removed by affinity chromatography on Sepharose-monoclonal anti-A chain. The purified A and B chains were active as determined by their ability to inhibit protein synthesis in a cell-free assay and their binding to asialofetuin, respectively. Furthermore, by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, toxicity in mice, and toxicity on several different cell types, both A and B chains were shown to be minimally cross-contaminated. Finally, it was shown that ammonium chloride significantly enhanced the nonspecific toxicity of B chains for cells in vitro. In contrast, ammonium chloride did not enhance either the nonspecific toxicity of A chains in vitro or the specific toxicity of A chain-containing immunotoxins prepared with the highly purified A1, A2 chains.     

Monoclonal antibodies demonstrate limited structural homology between myosin isozymes from Acanthamoeba

We used a library of 31 monoclonal and six polyclonal antibodies to compare the structures of the two classes of cytoplasmic myosin isozymes isolated from Acanthamoeba: myosin-I, a 150,000-mol-wt, globular molecule; and myosin-II, a 400,000-mol-wt molecule with two heads and a 90-nm tail. This analysis confirms that myosin-I and -II are unique gene products and provides the first evidence that these isozymes have at least one structurally homologous region functionally important for myosin's role in contractility. Characterization of the 23 myosin-II monoclonal antibody binding sites by antibody staining of one-dimensional peptide maps and solid phase, competitive binding assays demonstrate that they bind to at least 15 unique sites on the myosin-II heavy chain. The antibodies can be grouped into six families, whose members bind close to one another. None of the monoclonal antibodies bind to myosin-II light chains and polyclonal antibodies against myosin-II light or heavy chain bind only to myosin-II light or heavy chains, respectively: no antibody binds both heavy and light chains. Six of eight monoclonal antibodies and one of two polyclonal sera that react with the myosin-I heavy chain also bind to determinants on the myosin-II heavy chain. The cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies bind to the region of myosin-II recognized by the largest family of myosin-II monoclonal antibodies. In the two papers that immediately follow, we show that this family of monoclonal antibodies to myosin-II binds to the myosin-II tail near the junction with the heads and inhibits both the actin-activated ATPase of myosin-II and contraction of gelled cytoplasmic extracts of Acanthamoeba cytoplasm. Further, this structurally homologous region may play a key role in energy transduction by cytoplasmic myosins.     

Structures of sulfated oligosaccharides in human trachea mucin glycoproteins

The structures of high molecular weight sulfated oligosaccharide chains in mucins purified from the sputum of a patient with cystic fibrosis and blood group H determinant were established. Reduced oligosaccharides released by treatment with alkaline borohydride were separated by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Agarose and a fraction containing multisulfated chains was further purified by lectin affinity chromatography to completely remove small amounts of sialylated chains. A major sulfated oligosaccharide fraction containing chains with an average of 160 to 200 sugar residues was isolated by gel filtration on BioGel P-10 columns and individual subfractions were characterized by methylation analysis, periodate oxidation and sequential glycosidase digestion before and after desulfation. Carbohydrate analysis yielded Fuc, Gal and GldNAc in a ratio of 1:2:2.1 and only one galactosaminitol residue for every 160-to 200 sugar residues. The average molecular weight of oligosaccharide chains in these fractions was between 27,000 and 40,000 daltons. Structural analysis showed that these high molecular weight chains contained varying amounts of the repeating unit shown in the following oligosaccharide. Only one in about every 10 repeating units contained sulfate esters.Several shorter chains which contain 2 to 3 sulfate esters were also isolated from this multisulfated oligosaccharide fraction. The structures proposed for these oligosaccharides indicate that they are lower molecular weight chains with the same general structure as those found in the high molecular weight sulfated oligosaccharides. Taken collectively, the results of these studies show that a major sulfated oligosaccharide fraction in resporatory mucin purified from the mucus of patients with cystic fibrosis contains high molecular weight branched chains that consist of a repeating oligosaccharide sequence with sulfate linked to the 6 positions of galactose and possibly GlcNAc residues in the side chains.