The acridine dyes: Their purification,physicochemical, and cytochemical properties

Summary The present investigation was designed to allow a critical comparison of the dye purity of six commerical acriflavine samples. Thin layer chromatography, absorption-, IR- and NMR-spectroscopy were applied for the identification of dye components and impurities. Ambiguities regarding the purity of the acriflavine samples have been resolved, showing that: (a) The finding permits the conclusion, that all analyzed samples of the fluorochrome acriflavine are characterized by a two-component dye pattern (acriflavine II and proflavine III), and contain fluorescent impurities. (b) The dye component III was the main component of only one dye sample.The effectiveness of these experiments is concerned with making automated microfluorometric measurement of cells stained with pure dye fractions more quantitative and reproduceable.This investigation was supported by a grant from the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie (01 VH 065)     

The acridine dyes: Their purification,physicochemical, and cytochemical properties

Summary The present investigation was designed to allow a critical comparison of the cytochemical behaviour of commercially available acriflavine dye samples and pure acriflavine and proflavine dyes, regarding their application in automated cell analysis. Thin layer chromatography, NMR-spectroscopy and mass-spectrometry were applied for the identification of the dye composition.This study includes (1) a column chromatographic technique for the purification of larger dye quantities, (2) the investigation of the photodecomposition of different dye samples, and (3) the evaluation of the influence of various acriflavine/proflavine dye concentrations (1.6·10^–3–4·10^–6 mol/l) on to the emission spectrum of stained unhydrolyzed and hydrolyzed chicken erythrocytes.The commercially available acriflavine dye samples showed a much higher reduction in fluorescence intensity than the pure dyes, whereby proflavine faded less than acriflavine. Photodecomposition is markably influenced by dye impurities. Fluorescence emission spectra were registered at various acriflavine and proflavine dye concentrations for unhydrolyzed and hydrolyzed chicken erythrocytes in order to investigate the dye-dye interaction and the behaviour of the cellular DNA-dye complex. Proflavine showed a similar spectral behaviour as acriflavine. The dye concentration-dependent spectral behaviour of the DNA-dye complex of these fluorochromes seems to be a very critical factor. A comparison of quantitative fluorescence measurements can only be performed by staining cells with the same dye quality, because automated cytology requires reproducible information of cells in machinesensible terms.This investigation was supported by a grant from the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie (01 VH 065)     

The Azure Dyes their Purification and Physicochemical properties. II. Purification of Azure B

A method is described for the purification of the dye azure B in quantities sufficient for biological staining experiments on a larger scale. The method is based on the use of column chromatography. Two columns are employed. In column A with silica gel as adsorbent the azure B fraction is isolated from a suitable substrate ('technical' azure B gained by a modification of Bernthsen's synthesis of methylene blue, or plychrome methylene blue) using an acetate-formate mixture as eluent. In column B, on an Amberlite polyineric adsorbent (XAD-2) the acetate-formate anions are exchanged for chloride. Regeneration of both columns is possible: KMnO₄, Na₂S₂O₄ and water are run through column A, 5% NaOH, methanol and water through column B. Purification of azure B on economic terms is thus attained. The opinion is expressed that this method is also applicable to the purification of other cationic dyes.     

The purification of methylene blue and azure B by solvent extraction and crystallization.

Detailed schemes are described for the preparation of purified methylene blue and azure B from commercial samples of methylene blue. Purified methylene blue is obtained by extracting a solution of the commercial product in an aqueous buffer (pH 9.5) with carbon tetrachloride. Methylene blue remains in the aqueous layer but contaminating dyes pass into the carbon tetrachloride. Metal salt contaminants are removed when the dye is crystallized by the addition of hydrochloric acid at a final concentration of 0.25 N. Purified azure B is obtained by extracting a solution of commercial methylene blue in dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide (pH 11-11.5) with carbon tetrachloride. In this pH range, methylene blue is unstable and yields azure B. The latter passes into the carbon tetrachloride layer as it is formed. Metal salt contaminants remain in the aqueous layer. A concentrated solution oa azure B is obtained by extracting the carbon tetrachloride layer with 4.5 X 10(-4)N hydrobromic acid. The dye is then crystallized by increasing the hydrobromic acid concentration to 0.23 N. Thin-layer chromatography of the purified dyes shows that contamination with related thiazine dyes is absent or negligible. Ash analyses reveal that metal salt contamination is also negligible (sulphated ash less than 0.2%).     

Romanowsky dyes and the Romanowsky-Giemsa effect. 4. Binding of azure B to DNA

We investigated the binding of azure B to DNA (calf thymus) over a wide range of concentrations of the dye (CF) and the nucleic acid (CN) using absorption spectroscopy [CF and CN represent the total concentrations of the ye (F) and the mononucleotide units (N) of the DNA, respectively]. The binding isotherms of the dye to DNA in aqueous solutions were determined. In addition, we analysed the composition of insoluble DNA/azure B precipitates that are formed in presence of an excess of azure B. These precipitates are of particular interest, because Giemsa staining is usually performed using high dye concentrations. Azure B easily forms dimers in aqueous solutions. When determining the binding isotherms, the equilibrium between free monomers and dimers must be taken into account. Therefore, we determined the dimerisation constant (Kd) of azure B from the concentration dependency of its absorption spectra in water at the standard temperature T = 298 K (25 degrees C), Kd = 6.5 X 10(3) M-1 (experimental conditions: tris buffer, pH 7.2; concentration of Na ions, CNa = 0.002 M). As the CNa value increases, the dimerisation constant rises rapidly. When the azure B concentration is very low and there is an excess of DNA, ordinary Scatchard and Langmuir isotherms are observed. Monomer dye cations are bound to DNA, these cations being in equilibrium with free monomers in the solution. In order to obtain the Scatchard binding constant (Ks) and the binding parameter (n) spectroscopically, it is necessary to determine the extinction coefficient (epsilon Fb) of the monomer bound (b) dye molecules (F) at one analytical wave number (upsilon a). The three constants can be determined simultaneously using an iterative technique that combines Scatchard isotherms and the Benesi-Hildebrand extrapolation, CN----infinity. We obtained Ks = 1.8 X 10(5) M-1 and n = 0.18 (25 degrees C; tris buffer, pH 7.2; CNa = 0.002 M). At very low dye (CF) and competitor (CNa) concentrations, only 18% of the anionic binding sites of the DNA are capable of binding the dye cations. With increasing CNa values the concentration of bound azure B cations decreases rapidly. The Na cations displace the bound dye cations and act as a competitor. The Ks value also greatly depends on the competitor concentration (CNa).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Purification of arginases from human-leukemic lymphocytes and granulocytes: study of their physicochemical and kinetic properties.

Arginase has been isolated from granulocytes of a patient with chronic myelocytic leukemia and from lymphocytes of a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and both enzymes have been purified to apparent homogeneity. The purification procedure employed acetone extraction, ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose and CM-Sephadex chromatography and gel filtration on Bio-Gel A 1.5m. Both enzymes appear to be metalloenzymes, and to have molecular weights of about 120 000. Studies with the dissociated enzymes suggest that the subunit molecular weight is about 37 000, in agreement with a tetrameric aggregate structure of the native enzymes. Human leukemic granulocyte and lymphocyte arginases are strongly basic proteins with pI values between 9.25 and 9.35. Their free -SH groups enabled them to be linked to organomercurial-agarose. The kinetic properties estimated for both enzymes showed an optimum pH of 8.5, and an optimal MnCl2 concentration of 0.01 M. The Km for L-arginine is 2.7-3.1 mM and L-ornithine exhibits a mixed type of inhibition, with a Ki of 15.5-15.7 mM.     

Pig liver fatty acid synthetase: purification and physicochemical properties.

This paper reports the first detailed study of the physicochemical properties of a fatty acid synthetase multienzyme complex from a mammalian liver. Fatty acid synthetase from pig liver was purified by a procedure including the following main steps: (i) preparation of a clarified supernatant solution (50,000 g), (ii) ammonium sulfate fractionation, (iii) DEAE-cellulose chromatography to separate 11 S catalase from the 13 S fatty acid synthetase, (iv) a preparative sucrose density gradient step to remove a 7 S impurity, and (v) a calcium phosphate gel step to remove an unusual yellow 16 S heme protein to yield a colorless preparation. The purified fatty acid synthetase was colorless and showed a single symmetrical peak in sucrose density gradient and conventional sedimentation velocity experiments. Fatty acid synthetase was very stable at 4 °C in the presence of 1 mm dithiothreitol and 25% sucrose. Extrapolation to zero protein concentration yielded values of S^o_20,w = 13.3 S and D^o_20,w = 2.60 × 10^?7cm²/s for the sedimentation and diffusion coefficients of the enzyme. Frictional coefficient values of 1.55 and 1.56 × 10^?7 cm, respectively, were calculated from the values for the sedimentation and diffusion coefficients. Based on these frictional coefficient values, the Stokes radius of the enzyme was calculated to be 82.4 Å. Sedimentation and diffusion coefficient data yielded a molecular weight value of $\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>w</mtext>}}\text{(}\text{s}\text{D}\text{) = 478,000}$ and sedimentation equilibrium data yielded a value of M_w = 476,000. Preliminary intrinsic viscosity measurements at 20 °C gave a value of 7.3 ml/g, indicating that the enzyme is somewhat asymmetric. This is supported by the value of 1.58 calculated for the frictional ratio and by the fact that the values for the sedimentation and diffusion coefficients are both slightly lower than expected for a globular protein of molecular weight 478,000. The enzyme possesses about 90 SH groups per molecule, assuming a molecular weight of 478,000. The ultraviolet absorption spectrum of the enzyme shows a maximum at 280 nm and an unusual shoulder at 290 nm. The fluorescence spectrum of the enzyme is dominated by tryptophan fluorescence and, over the excitation range of 260–300 nm, there is a single emission maximum at 344 nm.     

The Nature of the Muscle-Relaxing Factor : II. Some physicochemical properties

High speed centrifugal fractionation of homogenates of rabbit skeletal muscle has led to the discovery of a soluble muscle-relaxing factor in the homogenate. Assay of the relaxing activity with deoxycholate-treated myofibrils and reconstituted actomyosin systems has established that the activity is not produced by the presence of contaminants. Relaxing activity could be removed or destroyed by charcoal, dialysis, prolonged heating, and treatment with the chelating resin, chelex-100, making it improbable that the effect is due simply to calcium deficiency. Many of the characteristics of this muscle-relaxing factor suggest that it is very similar to or the same as the factor formed by the incubation of muscle granule fractions and ATP. Evidence is presented that some soluble protein component is involved in the stabilization of the factor. The relaxing activity could be separated from the high molecular weight material in the supernatant by the technique of gel filtration. On the basis of the gel used, the molecular weight of the active agent should be less than 4000.     

Purification and some physicochemical properties of staphylococcal enterotoxin D.

A method was developed for the isolation of staphylococcal enterotoxin D in highly purified form from cultures of Staphylococcus aureus strain 1151m. The method involves removal of the toxin from the culture supernatant fluid with the ion-exchange resin CG-50 followed by chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose (twice) and by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 (twice). The purified toxin is homogeneous by polyacrylamide gel and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and double gel diffusion tests. It is a simple, colorless, antigenic protein with an isoelectric point of 7.4 as determined by isoelectric focusing. Its molecular weight was determined to be 27 300 +/- 700 by molecular sieve chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its serological activity is stable over a wide range of pH values (1.2--10.7). The enterotoxin consists of 236 amino acid residues and contains no free sulfhydryl groups. End-group analysis showed serine to be the NH2-terminal amino acid and lysine to be the COOH-terminal amino acid.     

The use of dyes in protein purification.

The role of the matrix, ligand and linking mechanism in affinity chromatography is discussed, special emphasis being placed on the use of dyestuff molecules as ligands. Current knowledge of dye-protein interactions is outlined and problems arising from the use of conventional textile dyes as ligands are considered. Work on the synthesis of novel dye-like molecules designed specifically for affinity chromatography is reviewed. This is seen as leading to the development of improved affinity systems capable of advancing the utility of affinity chromatography in protein purification.     

Purification and physicochemical properties of superoxide dismutase from two photosynthetic microorganisms.

Superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) has been isolated and characterised from the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis and from aerobically-grown Rhodopseudomonas spheroides, a purple, non-sulphur bacterium. The former enzyme contains 1 gatom of iron and the latter 1 gatom of manganese per mol; both enzymes have a molecular weight of 37 000-38 000, being composed of two non-covalently joined subunits of equal size. Various spectral studies have been carried out including absorbance, circular dichroism and electron spin resonance. Catalytic activity has been studied as a function of pH and shows a decrease at alkaline pH values. The manganoenzyme is generally more stable to various potentially denaturing conditions and is resistant to inactivation by hydrogen peroxide. Amino acid compositions and N-terminal residue determinations are presented.