The effect of N-bromosuccinimide on the sub-unit structure of avidin and its complexes with biotin

1. Each molecule of biotin bound to avidin protected four tryptophan residues from oxidation by N-bromosuccinimide, regardless of the occupancy of neighbouring binding sites in the four-sub-unit avidin molecule. 2. The oxidation products from avidin molecules in which some of the sites were occupied were separated on columns of Sephadex G-100. In the absence of biotin, oxidized avidin broke down into sub-units, which partly aggregated. When some of the sites were occupied by biotin, the only detectable products were completely oxidized avidin (sub-units and large aggregates) and unoxidized avidin-biotin complex (tetramer). Since the biotin-containing sub-units were randomly distributed before oxidation took place, they must have dissociated from the molecules containing oxidized sub-units and then reassociated to form the tetrameric avidin-biotin complex. 3. This reassociation still occurred in 3.5m-guanidinium chloride, which prevents the reassociation of unoccupied sub-units. During their brief existence in this medium, the sub-units of avidin-biotin complex were protected from oxidation by N-bromo-succinimide to the same extent as was the tetrameric complex. 4. It is concluded that sub-units of avidin-biotin complex do not readily lose their biotin, even in 3.5m-guanidinium chloride, and that monomeric biotin-binding species are probably present in solutions of avidin sub-units at guanidinium chloride concentrations between 3.0m and 3.5m.