ABSTRACT
We investigated the composition of the precipitate that forms when wheat-germ lectin derived from Triticum vulgaris is added to serum. A number of serum proteins are precipitated, representing about 2.5% of the total serum protein. This study demonstrates that the interaction of this lectin with the bone isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase is not specific.
Subject(s)
Blood Proteins/isolation & purification , Wheat Germ Agglutinins , Alkaline Phosphatase/analysis , Bone and Bones/enzymology , Chemical Precipitation , Electrophoresis, Agar Gel , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Humans , Isoenzymes/analysis , Sodium ChlorideABSTRACT
With this electrophoretic method the liver, biliary, and bone isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase are clearly separated on agarose gels. Wheat-germ lectin, incorporated in the gel matrix, binds the bone isoenzyme selectively, forming a precipitate near the origin. Neither liver nor biliary isoenzyme is affected. Activity staining with an indigogenic dye substrate reveals the liver isoenzyme migrating nearest the anode, followed by the biliary and bone isoenzymes. Results are generally similar to those of electrophoresis on cellulose acetate. However, the lectin-agarose gels better resolve the liver and bone isoenzymes, and heat treatment of samples is not required before electrophoresis.