Comparison of cytosol retinol binding proteins from bovine retina, dog liver, and rat liver

Cytosol retinol binding proteins (CRBP's) have been purified from rat liver, dog liver, and bovine retina. All had identical molecular weights on sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis. They had different RF values on non-sodium dodecyl sulfate gels at pH 8.9. The three CRBP exhibited similar absorption and fluorescence spectra. The absorbance of the ligand was perturbed after binding, the main band shifting bathochromically and exhibiting a lambda(max) at 350 nm compared with 328 nm for free retinol in hexane. Additionally, subsidiary peaks appeared at 335 and 367 nm. Rabbit antiserum against rat liver CRBP cross-reacted with CRBP's from dog liver and bovine retina. The Ouchterlony immunodiffusion technique indicated that these proteins have molecular structures with identical antigenic determinants. All three CRBP's had amino acid composition that were virtually identical, as judged by our own observations and those of other laboratories. The molecular structure of cytosol retinol binding proteins appears to be highly conserved, irrespective of species or tissue of origin.