Spectrin band 1 and 2 are antigenically distinct and are not composed of subunits.

Human erythrocyte membranes and freshly isolated spectrin were separated into their constituent peptides by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The peptides were electrophoresed from slices of such gels into agarose gels containing anti-spectrin antibodies and Triton X-100. In fresh preparations, precipitin arcs were observed only against peptides migrating as bands 1 and 2. It was found that bands 1 and 2 did not cross-react. There were two major arcs from band 1 and one principal arc from band 2, plus minor splitting of these arcs. None of the band 1 arcs fused with band 2 arcs. In fresh erythrocyte ghosts only bands 1 and 2 reacted with anti-spectrin; bands 2.1, 3, and 5, in particular, showed no precipitin arcs. However, in aged ghosts, arcs appeared in the band 3 region; in aged isolated spectrin, arcs appeared in the band 2.1 region; and in trypsin-degraded spectrin, reactive species occurred in all molecular weight classes. It is concluded that spectrin has no subunits smaller than 220,000 molecular weight and that bands 1 and 2 are immunochemically distinct.     

Production and separation of peptides from proteins stained with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 after separation by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Proteins stained with Coomassie brilliant blue on polyacrylamide gels were digested with lysylendopeptidase in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Peptide production was similar to that under ordinary conditions of digestion. Peptides were recovered easily and efficiently from the gel pieces and separated by HPLC. The present method for preparation of peptides from proteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis is quite simple and can be used for sequence analysis of proteins in general at the subnanomolar level.     

Antigenic structure of rabies virus glycoprotein: ordering and immunological characterization of the large CNBr cleavage fragments.

After rabies virus glycoprotein was treated with CNBr, the peptide mixture was fractionated by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. CNBr-cleaved peptide fragments were resolved into seven peptide bands under reducing conditions and six peptide bands under nonreducing conditions. The isolated nonreduced polypeptides were further analyzed by electrophoresis under reducing conditions. The N-terminal amino acid sequences were determined for the peptides in each of the isolated bands. The sequence data identified eight CNBr peptides and allowed the peptide fragments to be ordered within the deduced amino acid sequence of the glycoprotein. Analysis of the nonreduced CNBr peptides revealed two conformations of the glycoprotein. Two CNBr peptide fragments were specifically immunoprecipitated with a hyperimmune anti-rabies glycoprotein serum. These two and one other CNBr peptide induced the production of rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies, indicating the existence of at least three distinct antigenic sites on the rabies virus glycoprotein.     

Isolation and elution of proteins from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels with an intermediate agarose-containing layer in the acrylamide gel

An efficient method for the isolation of a few milligrams of a protein from a protein mixture by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is described. The method is based on the insertion of an intermediate agarose-containing layer in the polyacrylamide gel. The protein mixture labeled with fluorescamine and the unlabeled one were run simultaneously in separate slots. During electrophoresis the fluorescent-conjugated protein bands were followed by uv illumination. The electrophoresis was stopped when the fluorescent band corresponding to the protein to be isolated was in the agarose layer. The protein is extracted quantitatively from the agarose in less than 1 h by ultracentrifugation. The pure protein recovered in the supernatant was used directly, in the Tris-sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer, to prepare rabbit antiserum.     

Properties of Feline Leukemia Virus I. Chromatographic Separation and Analysis of the Polypeptides

Rickard's strain of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) contains two large glycoproteins and five smaller polypeptides of molecular weights 100,000 (gp >/= 100), 70,000 (gp70), 30,000 (p30), 21,000 (p21), 15,000 (p15), 11,200 (p11), and 10,000 (p10) when chromatographed on 6% agarose in the presence of 6 M guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl). P21 is a minor component which was not previously described for mammalian leukemia-sarcoma viruses and may be analogous to the seventh protein found in avian viruses. Analysis on 4% agarose and by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that gp >/= 100 is actually >/= 200,000 daltons and dissociates to polypeptides of approximately 100,000 to 115,000 daltons, whereas gp70 can be resolved into six stained bands ranging from 40,000 to 80,000 daltons despite being rechromatographed as a single symmetrical peak on 6% agarose. Rechromatography on 8% agarose was found to be more effective than on 6% agarose or sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for obtaining the five small polypeptides, especially p11 and p10, in a highly purified form suitable for further analysis and for obtaining more precise estimates of their molecular weights, especially when done by co-chromatography with iodinated standard proteins markers. Rechromatographed p30, p21, p15, p11, and p10 had molecular weights of 27,000, 18,000, 15,000, 12,000, and 12,000 respectively, by co-electrophoresis with the marker proteins on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, clearly establishing that the latter two FeLV polypeptides comigrate to form one less band when compared to elution from agarose. The isoelectric points of p30 and p15 were 5.5 and 8.9, respectively, after renaturation from GuHCl and 5.6 and 8.7, respectively, when isolated from Tween-ether treated virus. Rechromatographed p30, p15, and p11, renatured by removing GuHCl with dialysis, reacted only with their homologous antisera in immunodiffusion analysis, indicating that they are immunologically unrelated. Also the interspecies gs-3 determinant associated with p30 could be regained by removal of GuHCl.     

A discontinuous electrophoretic system for separating peptides on polyacrylamide gels

An electrophoretic system for separating, with high resolution, peptides 25–250 residues in length is described. The peptides are stacked by discontinuous electrophoresis to form very sharp bands at the origin. They are then separated on a matrix of 20% polyacrylamide, 8 m urea, and 0.1% dodecyl sulfate. Through this combination, high resolution and clean separation, based on polymer length, are achieved.     

Isolation of a 5,300-dalton peptide containing a pyridoxal phosphate binding site from the 38,000-dalton domain of band 3 of human erythrocyte membranes

A hydrophobic 5,300-dalton peptide was isolated from the 38,000-dalton domain of Band 3 by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The peptide was affinity labeled with pyridoxal phosphate and sodium [3H]borohydride when erythrocytes were incubated in vitro. The peptide was not labeled with these agents when cells were incubated in the presence of a specific inhibitor of anion transport, suggesting that the peptide contains at least a part of the active center for the anion transport system in the cell membrane. The peptide was eluted from a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography column with a high concentration of acetonitrile (more than 65%), although the elution pattern of the hydrophobic peptide was not as sharp as that of the soluble peptides. However, a satisfactory separation was achieved when this procedure was employed in combination with sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Heterogeneity of human erythrocyte band 3 analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Human erythrocyte membrane and purified band 3 were separated initially by isoelectric focusing and then examined in a second dimension by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Band 3 was segregated into three major bands whether the protein was contained within the membranes or was present in the isolated state. The isoelectric points of these major bands were 5.25, 5.35 and 5.70. Of chymotryptic fragments of band 3, the 60-kDa fragment was also separated into three major bands whose pI values were 4.75, 5.10 and 5.30. The multiplicity of band 3 appears to be due to different charges carried by the peptide(s) and is not ascribed to oxidation of band 3 during its preparation. Isoelectric points of the purified 60-kDa fragment were different from the pI values of the fragment coexisting with the complementary 35-kDa fragment, in which case the pI values were exactly the same as those of intact band 3. This suggests that these fragments interact tightly in situ even after being cleaved by chymotrypsin, and the tight interaction must still be present during electrophoresis in the first dimension.     

Identification of the milk fat globule membrane proteins: I. Isolation and partial characterization of glycoprotein B

The salt soluble proteins from the fat globule membrane of cow's milk were resolved into three fractions by Sephadex column chromatography in sodium dodecyl sulfate. One of the fractions, termed glycoprotein B, was purified by rechromatography to essentially one band on sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. It was found to contain 14% carbohydrate including sialic acid, mannose, galactose, glucose, glucosamine and galactosamine. The amino acid composition of glycoprotein B was determined; it has amino terminal serine and carboxyl terminal leucine. The molecular weight of this glycoprotein as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis is 49 500.     

Isolation and characterization of ciliary neurotrophic factor from rabbit sciatic nerves

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has been purified 35,000-fold to homogeneity from rabbit sciatic nerves using its ability to promote the survival of chick embryo ciliary ganglion neurons as the bioassay. The purification involved a combination of acid treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, chromatofocusing, preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Overlapping peptide sequences were obtained which accounted for 49% of the primary structure of the molecule. This information was used to prepare synthetic peptides in order to elicit antibodies. Purified CNTF exhibited two major and several minor bands between 24 and 22 kDa on silver-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels. All of the molecular forms were immunostained in Western blots by antiserum to synthetic peptides. The peptide sequences also provided a basis for cloning and expression of the rabbit CNTF gene (Lin, L-F. H., Mismer, D., Lile, J. D., Armes, L. G., Butler, E. T., III, Vannic, J. L., and Collins, F. (1989) Science 246, 1023-1025) confirming that the protein purified as reported here is CNTF.     

An efficient two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method for simultaneous peptide mapping of protein contained in a mixture

A method for simultaneous peptide mapping of polypeptides contained in a mixture is presented. The polypeptides were first separated by conventional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The strip of gel containing these unstained polypeptide bands was subsequently embedded perpendicular to the direction of electrophoresis in the stacking gel of a second gel. The proteolytic enzymes, loaded on top of the second gel, were brought in contact with the substrates through moving boundary electrophoresis. The peptides thus generated were then resolved by electrophoresis in a gradient gel. A polychromatic silver staining method added an extra dimension to the identification and characterization of the peptides in the maps obtained in that specific peptides got specific colors. Moreover, the sensitivity of this method was illustrated by the demonstration that original quantities in the submicrogram range of nonradioactive proteins (exemplified here by the structural proteins of densonucleosis virus) largely sufficed for satisfactory maps. Other advantages of this procedure over current methods included (i) the elimination of the purification step (and consequently virtually no loss or contamination), (ii) that only the strict minimum of material (necessary for the ultimate visualization of the maps) had to be used, (iii) that no special two-dimensional electrophoresis equipment was needed, and (iv) the consistency, speed, and simplicity of the method.     

Hyaluronate-protein complex of rous sarcoma virus-transformed chick embryo fibroblasts

Involvement of covalently linked protein or peptide in the structure or synthesis of hyaluronate has not previously been convincingly demonstrated. We have developed conditions for double-labeling with [3H]leucine and [14C]acetate, then isolating and characterizing the cell-associated and secreted hyaluronate-protein complexes of Rous sarcoma virus-transformed chick embryo fibroblasts. The preparations were purified by Bio-Gel A-15m gel filtration and CsCl density gradient ultracentrifugation under dissociative conditions, followed by acid agarose gel electrophoresis in the presence of 0.1% Nonidet P-40. The purified hyaluronate preparations did not change their 3H:14C ratios after further sodium dodecyl sulfate or alkali treatment. The cell-derived hyaluronate-protein was resistant to pronase but susceptible to proteinase K in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. After chondroitinase ABC digestion, the cell-derived 3H-labeled protein was separated from the 14C-labeled hyaluronate disaccharides, then shown to give a broad band corresponding to Mr approximately 12,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and to be susceptible to both pronase and proteinase K. The corresponding 3H-labeled peptide was prepared in the same manner from the medium hyaluronate and the [3H]leucine shown to be present in material smaller in amount and size than that from the cell. We propose from these and other published data that the cell-associated hyaluronate-protein may be bound to the cell surface and that the hyaluronate in the medium may be derived from it as a result of proteolytic scission.     

Unique peptide maps of the three largest proteins specified by the flavivirus Kunjin.

Tryptic digests of four polypeptides found in Kunjin virus-infected Vero cells, NV5, NV4, V3, and NV3, were compared by peptide mapping. The polypeptides to be analyzed were labeled with radioactive methionine and separated by electrophoresis through polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate. Because infection of Vero cells by Kunjin virus does not inhibit host cell protein synthesis, radioactively labeled viral polypeptides prepared from infected cells migrate coincidentally during sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis with some of the labeled host proteins. Thus, the genuine viral methionine-containing peptides in tryptic digests of viral proteins have been identified by co-analyzing polypeptides from [3H]methionine-labeled uninfected cells and [35S]methionine-labeled infected cells and determining the 35S/3H ratio in the peptides resolved in two dimensions on thin-layer chromatography plates. The peptide map of NV3 demonstrated that it is host coded, whereas NV5, NV4, and V3 have unique peptide maps and, therefore, account for approximately one-half of the coding potential of Kunjin virus RNA.     

Carbonic anhydrase from spinach leaves. Isolation and some chemical properties.

Spinach carbonic anhydrase has been purified by modification and extension of a published method (Pocker, Y., and Ng. J. S. U. (1973) Biochemistry 12, 5127-5134), using (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, agarose, and DEAE-Sephadex. The enzyme so obtained was homogeneous by criteria of both standard and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and of constant specific activity throughout the elution profile on DEAE-Sephadex chromatography. The enzyme has an apparent Mr of 212,000 by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200, a Mr of 26,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis, and each of the subunits contains approximately 1 g atom of zinc. These data and the excellent correlation between the number of lysine and arginine residues per subunit, and the number of tryptic peptides obtained by peptide mapping, suggest that spinach carbonic anhydrase is an octamer consisting of identical or very similar subunits. Its amino acid composition is similar to parsley carbonic anhydrase; both contain large numbers of half-cystine residues relative to erythrocyte carbonic anhydrases. The spinach enzyme is devoid of disulfide bonds. The enzyme is stable around neutrality at -14 degrees, as a suspension in saturated (NH4)2SO4 solution.     

Chemistry and subunit structure of yeast hexokinase isoenzymes

Evidence from ultracentrifugation, sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis, peptide mapping, and carboxypeptidase A digestion allows the conclusion that the two native hexokinases, P-I and P-II, consist of polypeptide chains having molecular weights slightly higher than 50,000. It was demonstrated that some preparations are contaminated with a protease, and that this impurity caused erroneous results in sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis and carboxypeptidase A digestion.Amino acid analyses indicated that both P-I and P-II contain four cysteine, four tryptophan, and eleven methionine residues per mole. In contrast, P-I contains eight, and P-II five, histidine residues per mole. Many of the differences in amino acid composition are small, but reproducible.Peptide mapping indicated that many segments of P-I and P-II have identical sequences. There were about 27 common tryptic peptides, and about 16–19 unique to each form. In addition, both isozymes were found to have the same amino terminus, valine, and the same carboxy terminus, alanine; some evidence for a difference in the penultimate residue at the carboxy terminus was indicated.     

Peptide mapping by CNBr fragmentation using a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide minigel system

The method of peptide mapping by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis following partial protein fragmentation with cyanogen bromide was adapted for a polyacrylamide minigel system. The combined use of the discontinuous gel electrophoresis system of J. P. Doucet and J. M. Trifaró [1988) Anal. Biochem. 168, 265-271) and a vertical polyacrylamide minigel system produced the following advantages over other procedures: (a) the ability to resolve cyanogen bromide cleavage fragments over a broad molecular mass range while yielding very sharp protein staining bands; (b) well-defined peptide maps are produced with as little as 2 micrograms of protein; (c) less time is required to perform fragmentation with cyanogen bromide, to equilibrate the gel slices in sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer, as well as to perform the electrophoresis; and (d) the cyanogen bromide fragmentation patterns are highly reproducible.     

Isolation of serine protease from granulated metrial gland cells of mice and rats with lectin from Dolichos biflorus.

Granulated metrial gland cells were the only cells in the endometria of pregnant mice and rats that reacted histochemically with fluoresceinated lectin (DBA) from Dolichos biflorus. Cell extracts of uteri of pregnant animals, separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and analysed by lectin overlay blotting, contained DBA-reactive, 40-50 kDa, doublet glycoprotein bands. This glycoprotein was purified on a DBA agarose affinity column. It was identified by amino acid sequencing as a serine protease closely related to granzymes of T lymphocytes. We conclude that this granzyme accounts for the selective reactivity of granulated metrial gland cells with fluoresceinated DBA in histological sections of uteri of pregnant rodents and show that DBA affinity columns can be used for purification of granzyme derived from granulated metrial gland cells.     

Subunit structure of human erythrocyte glycophorin A.

Glycophorin A is a sialoglycoprotein isolated from human erythrocyte membranes which seems to exist as stable dimeric complexes in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. When analyzed by dodecyl sulfate acrylamide electrophoresis this molecule forms two PAS-stainable bands (PAS-U and PAS-2) which are reversibly interconvertible. This change in electrophoretic mobility is dependent on the concentration of dodecyl sulfate, the use of Trisbuffer systems, the protein concentration in the incubation mixture, and the duration and temperature of incubation before electrophoresis. Reducing agents do no influence the results. Chromatography of the sialoglycopeptides on Sepharose columns in dodecyl sulfate before and after heat treatment gave similar results. A small hydrophobic peptide (T-6) derived from glycophorin A was able to prevent reassociation of the monomeric subunits back to the higher molecular weight form. This peptide was able to bind to the subunit of glycophorin A, but not to the high molecular weight complex. These results are consistent with a model of glycophorin A composed of two subunits which can dissociate and reassociate in the presence of detergents. These subunits may interact via the hydrophobic portions of the polypeptide chains.     

Purification and properties of acid phosphatase from cultured tobacco cells

One component of acid phosphatase was purified from cultured tobacco cells. The purified enzyme was homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with or without sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme possesses high activity toward nucleoside di- and triphosphate, much less activity toward nucleoside monophosphates and sugar esters. The MWs of the phosphatase determined by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis were 74000 and 76000, respectively. The phosphatase showed high affinity for concanavalin A-Sepharose and single superimposed bands of protein and carbohydrate on gel electrophoresis, suggesting that it is a glycoprotein.