Rat small-intestinal β-galactosidases. Studies on the fractionation of `acid' β-galactosidase with isoelectric focusing, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography

1. Different forms of the rat small-intestinal ;acid' beta-galactosidase were separated by using the isoelectric-focusing technique. The isoelectric points of the different forms were at pH4.2, 4.6, 5.4, 6.1 and approx. 8. 2. The two forms of ;acid' beta-galactosidase isoelectric at pH4.2 and 4.6 were completely excluded from the Sephadex G-200 gel, whereas the form isoelectric at pH8 had K(av.) 0.4. The concentration and pH of the elution buffer influenced the distribution of enzyme activity between different forms. Thus, under certain conditions of ionic strength and pH, the enzyme seems to form high-molecular-weight aggregates with low isoelectric points. These may be homopolymeric aggregates or the result of binding of enzyme to, for example, membrane fragments. The forms isoelectric at pH5.4 and 6.1 are probably aggregates of intermediate size. 3. During ion-exchange chromatography at pH6.0 one fraction of ;acid' beta-galactosidase was not retained on the column and was isoelectric at pH8 and another fraction was eluted when the buffer concentration in the eluate had increased to about 50mm. The main part of enzyme eluted in this second fraction was also isoelectric at pH8, indicating that the elution of this fraction is not a simple ion-exchange procedure but probably also involves a splitting of high-molecular-weight aggregates, originally retained because of their low isoelectric points. The enzyme subunits have a higher isoelectric point, and are therefore no longer bound to the ion-exchange resin.