The principal site of glycation of human complement factor B.

Accumulating amino acid sequence data have made it increasingly evident that many essential complement proteins have potentially modifiable lysine residues in putative critical functional regions. Evidence is now presented that glucose is covalently attached to lysine-266 of purified human complement Factor B as a result of glycation. Purified B was treated with NaB3H4, which reduces such bound glucose to a mixture of radiolabelled hexitols. Amino acid analysis revealed the expected radiolabelled hexitol-lysine epimers. In addition, fluorography of dried gels resolving the major high-molecular-mass h.p.l.c.-fractionated CNBr-cleavage peptides of NaB3H4-reduced B indicated that this radioactivity was specifically associated with the 15 kDa fragment derived from the N-terminal region of fragment Bb. Amino acid sequence analysis suggested that the C-terminal lysine (residue 266 of B) of the N-terminal Lys-Lys doublet of this peptide is preferentially modified. If such glycation can subsequently be shown to occur in vivo, then perhaps this modification might also be found to affect the functional activity of B and offer a potential explanation for some of the immunopathological complications of diseases exposing key plasma proteins, such as this active-site-containing proteinase of the multimeric alternative-complement-pathway C3/C5 convertases, to long-term high concentrations of glucose, such as the decreased resistance to infection and impaired chemotaxis and phagocytosis characteristic of diabetes.

Monoclonal antibody 6B6.6 defines a cross-reactive kappa light chain idiotope on human monoclonal and polyclonal rheumatoid factors.

Mouse monoclonal antibody (MAb) 6B6.6 was raised against a cross-reactive idiotope (CRI) present on the light chains of 2 human IgM paraproteins with rheumatoid factor (RF) activity. The MAb inhibited the IgG-binding activity of these proteins, and thus appears to react with an epitope located at or near the RF-binding site. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western immunoblotting studies indicate that the 6B6.6 CRI is associated with kappa IIIa sub-subgroup light chains, is not related to the Wa, Po, and Bla RF cross-idiotypic specificities, and is clearly distinct from the kappa IIIb-associated CRI detected by MAb 17.109. Using an ELISA, we detected 6B6.6 CRI in 59% of 107 sera and 48% of 50 synovial fluids from patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the quantities of CRI-positive RF were small, and the amount of CRI-positive RF did not correlate with the amount of IgM-RF. The 6B6.6 CRI was shown to occur primarily in the IgM fraction of RA sera by both chromatographic studies and isotype-specific ELISA, although small quantities appeared to be associated with IgA and IgG in some sera. The presence of 6B6.6 CRI on both monoclonal and polyclonal RF is consistent with the view that both are derived, at least in part, from a common gene pool. However, its occurrence in relatively low levels suggests that the number of germline genes encoding for RF is large or that extensive mutation occurs in the course of RF expression in RA.

Characterization of mammalian type IX collagen fragments from limited pepsin digests of a transplantable swarm rat chondrosarcoma.

Collagenous fragments from type IX molecules have been solubilized by limited pepsin proteolysis of a transplantable rat chondrosarcoma and isolated by selective salt precipitation. Chromatography of the solubilized precipitate on CM-cellulose under nondenaturing conditions yielded three fractions. When examined by polarimetry, the material in all three fractions revealed native collagen helical structure with melting points which ranged from 31-37 degrees C. When the fractions were denatured and rechromatographed on a column of agarose beads, the most acidic fraction eluted as 13-kDa polypeptides with and without prior reduction and alkylation. In contrast, the second and third fractions eluted as 100-kDa and 30-kDa polypeptides prior to reduction, but on reduction and alkylation produced reducible products of 34 kDa and 10 kDa, respectively. The general compositional features of the three fractions closely resemble comparable collagenous fragments of type IX collagen from other species. The denaturation products of the 13-kDa nonreducible, the 30-kDa reducible, and the 100-kDa reducible fractions were sequentially purified by CM-cellulose and reversed-phase chromatography to resolve the chain constituents. The isolated 10-kDa, 13-kDa, and 34-kDa chains were cleaved with CNBr, and the cleavage products identified by gel-permeation chromatography. Two 13-kDa polypeptides, 13K2 and 13K3, which did not contain any methionyl residues and were not cleaved with CNBr, were digested with trypsin, and the peptide digests were resolved by reversed-phase chromatography. Comparisons of the CNBr and tryptic cleavage products demonstrate that the three major collagenous fragments are composed of three unique polypeptides. A partial amino acid sequence of an 8-kDa CNBr peptide derived from a purified 10-kDa peptide (10K1) matches identically the amino acid sequence derived from a cDNA sequence in the rat alpha 1(IX) chain (Kimura et al., 1989). These studies, then, present convenient procedures useful in the isolation of mammalian type IX collagen fragments and describe features of the rat molecule, indicating that it is similar to the avian counterpart with respect to chain composition and general molecular structure.

Analysis of the spectrin binding domains of globin.

This study describes the results of binding studies between human spectrin and peptides obtained by trypsin digestion of human globin. The globin digest when passed through an affinity column of spectrin-coupled sepharose retained one peptide from both alpha and beta chains of globin. The absorbed peptides were eluted with 4 M guanidine hydrochloride and separated on a reverse phase column by high pressure liquid chromatography. Their amino acid sequence was determined and their position located in the globin molecule.

Conversion of the beckman liquid phase sequencer to a gas-liquid phase sequencer.

As an effective aid to extend the microsequencing capabilities the Beckman protein/peptide sequenator Series 890C has been successfully converted to a gas-liquid system, in which coupling buffer 25% trimethylamine was employed as a gas, and heptafluorobutyric acid as a liquid. The system has been found to be efficient for microsequencing (less than 100 pmol). The details of mechanical, plumbing, and other minor changes are described in this paper along with the results of sequencing proteins and peptides, directly and from blots.

Monoclonal antibodies to human fibroblast procollagenase. Inhibition of enzymatic activity, affinity purification of the enzyme, and evidence for clustering of epitopes in the NH2-terminal end of the activated enzyme.

This study describes 11 monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) against human fibroblast collagenase that (i) inhibit the specific catalytic activity of the enzyme and/or (ii) react with one or more forms of the enzyme on Western blots. Each of the Mabs specifically immunoprecipitated the Mr 57,000/52,000 procollagenase from [35S]methionine-labeled culture medium. Five Mabs, designated VI-3, VI-4, 2C5, 4A2, and 7C2, inhibited the activity of fibroblast-type collagenase against soluble monomeric collagen and against reconstituted collagen fibrils but did not inhibit the genetically distinct human PMN leukocyte collagenase. The interstitial collagenase produced by human mucosal keratinocytes (SCC-25) was also inhibited, whereas the corresponding enzyme from rat was not. Assignment of epitopes to structural domains within the molecule based on immunoperoxidase staining of Western blots of collagenase and its autocatalytic fragments revealed that 9 of 11 epitopes, including those recognized by 4 inhibitory Mabs, were clustered in a 169-residue domain, which constitutes the NH2-terminal part of the Mr 46,000/42,000 active enzyme. One Mab (X-2a) specifically recognized the Mr 57,000/52,000 zymogen species and failed to react with the active Mr 46,000/42,000 form. The inhibitory Mab VI-3 was used for immunoaffinity purification of procollagenase from culture media with a recovery better than 80% and a yield of approximately 1.4 mg of enzyme/L of medium.

Isolation, characterization, and biosynthesis of a phosphorylated glycoprotein from rat bone.

A phosphorylated glycoprotein was purified from the mixture of proteins extracted by demineralization of rat bone with 0.5 M EDTA in 4 M guanidinium chloride. A high level of purity for the preparation was indicated by a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-gradient gel electrophoresis, sedimentation equilibrium ultracentrifugal data, and by automated Edman degradation results. The molecular weight of the phosphoprotein was shown to be about 44,000 by sedimentation equilibrium analyses in 4 M guanidinium chloride, even though an Mr of 75,000 was obtained by 5-15% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Subsequent analysis by 15% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gave an Mr of 45,000. Analytical data showed that the protein contained 16.6% carbohydrate, possibly including 1 N-linked oligosaccharide and 5-6 O-linked oligosaccharides. The aspartic acid- and glutamic acid-rich protein contained about 300 amino acid residues including 1 phosphothreonine and 12 phosphoserine residues. Alkaline beta-elimination/NaBH4 reduction data showed that the phosphate obtained by complete acid hydrolysis prior to amino acid analysis was equivalent to the phosphate subject to alkaline beta-elimination. In this experiment, the losses of serine plus threonine exceeded the amount of phosphate liberated by 5-6 residues/protein. These serine and threonine residues probably represent O-linked oligosaccharides, since the protein contained about this number of N-acetyl-galactosamine residues. That the phosphoprotein is synthesized and secreted by osteoblast-like cells was shown with cultures of clonal rat osteosarcoma cells. After pulsing with 32PO4 the proteins secreted into the medium were precipitated with trichloroacetic acid and the radiolabeled proteins were immunoadsorbed. A protein migrating in the same position, on 5-15% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (i.e. with an Mr = 75,000) and on 15% gels (Mr = 45,000), as the phosphoprotein obtained from bone could be specifically immunoprecipitated.

Purification of spectrin and its subunits by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Technological and methodological advances in the techniques of structural and biological studies of proteins have reduced the required amount of sample. In conjunction with these advances, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has emerged as a technique of high utility for the purification of complex molecules. Using a combination of size-exclusion and reversed-phase HPLC and ionic buffers containing sodium dodecyl sulfate, the red cell membrane-associated high-molecular-weight polypeptide spectrin and its subunits have been purified. The system described in this paper is fast, reproducible and quantitative.

Cleavage of bovine skin type III collagen by proteolytic enzymes. Relative resistance of the fibrillar form.

We have studied the susceptibility of fibrils formed from fetal bovine skin type III collagen to proteolytic enzymes known to cleave within the helical portion of the molecule (vertebrate and microbial collagenase, polymorphonuclear elastase, trypsin, thermolysin) and to two general proteases of broad specificity (plasmin, Pronase). Fibrils reconstituted from neutral salt solutions, at 35 degrees C, were highly resistant to nonspecific proteolysis by general proteases such as polymorphonuclear elastase, trypsin, and thermolysin but were rapidly dissolved by bacterial and vertebrate collagenases at rates of 12-45 mol X mol-1 X h-1. In solution, type III collagen was readily cleaved by each of the proteases (with the exception of plasmin), as well as by the true collagenases, although at different rates. Turnover numbers determined by viscometry at 35 degrees C were: human collagenase, approximately equal to 1500 h-1; microbial (clostridial) collagenase, approximately equal to 100 h-1; and general proteases, 23-52 h-1. In addition it was shown that pronase cleaves type III collagen in solution at 22 degrees C by attacking the same Arg-Gly bond in the alpha 1(III) chain as trypsin. However, like other proteases, Pronase was rather ineffective against fibrillar forms of type III collagen. It was also shown that transition of type III collagen as well as type I collagen to the fibrillar form resulted in a significant gain of triple helical thermostability as evidenced by a 6.8 degrees C increase in denaturation temperature (Tm = 40.2 degrees C in solution; Tm = 47.0 degrees C in fibrils).

A modified system for thiazolinone conversion to thiohydantoin derivatives and their separation by high-pressure liquid chromatography.

An improved and very simple procedure for thiazolinone conversion to thiohydantoin derivatives and their separation by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography is described. Trifluoroacetic acid (10%) in ethyl acetate has been employed as a conversion reagent to circumvent the deamidation of acid amides and methylation of acidic amino acids, with a concomitant increase in the detection limits of these residues. Additionally, a very simple procedure has been developed for the separation of phenylthiohydantoin (PTH) derivatives of amino acids. The system takes advantage of the computer-controlled precise mixing of the solvents A and B to achieve accurate pH and thus avoid the necessity of pH adjustment of a buffer. The procedure is simple and highly reproducible, and separates all the 20 known PTH amino acids. The efficiency of the method has been examined on synthetic and natural proteins/peptides, in manual and autoconversion systems, over a period of more than 18 months.

Studies of synthetic peptide analogs of the amphipathic helix. Structure of complexes with dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine.

The amphipathic helix hypothesis for the lipid-associating domains of exchangeable plasma apolipoproteins has been further studied by analysis of the structure of the complexes formed between four synthetic peptide analogs of the amphipathic helix and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC). Density gradient ultracentrifugation, negative stain electron microscopy, nondenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 1H NMR, high sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry, and circular dichroism were the techniques used in these studies. The two analogs Asp-Trp-Leu-Lys-Ala-Phe-Tyr-Asp-Lys-Val-Ala-Glu-Lys-Leu-Lys-Glu-Ala-Phe (18A) and 18A-Pro-18A whose sequences most strongly mimic native amphipathic sequences were found also most strongly to mimic apolipoprotein A-I in DMPC complex structure. The covalently linked dimer of the prototype amphipathic analog 18A, 18A-Pro-18A, appears to have greater lipid affinity than 18A. This presumably is the result of the cooperativity provided by two covalently linked lipid-associating domains in 18A-Pro-18A. The studies further suggest that the charge-reversed analog of the prototype 18A, reverse-18A, has the lowest lipid affinity of the four analogs studied and forms only marginally stable discoidal DMPC complexes. We postulate that this low lipid affinity is due predominantly, but not necessarily exclusively, to the lack of a hydrophobic contribution of lysine residues at the polar-nonpolar interface of reverse-18A versus 18A. The intermediate lipid affinity of des-Val10-18A, the fourth analog peptide, to produce a rank order of 18A-Pro-18A greater than 18A greater than des-Val10-18A greater than reverse-18A, supports this interpretation. Des-Val10-18A which has Val deleted from 18A has an amphipathic helical structure partially disrupted by the shift of 2 lysine residues away from the polar-nonpolar interface.

Amino acid sequence of human D of the alternative complement pathway.

The primary structure of human D, the serine protease activating the C3 convertase of the alternative complement pathway, has been deduced by sequencing peptides derived from various chemical (CNBr and o-iodosobenzoic acid) and enzymatic (trypsin, lysine protease, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, and chymotrypsin) cleavages. Carboxypeptidase A was also used to confirm the COOH-terminal sequence. The peptides were purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The proposed sequence of human D contains 222 amino acids and has a calculated molecular weight of 23 748. It exhibits a high degree of homology with other serine proteases, especially around the NH2-terminus as well as the three residues corresponding to the active-site His-57, Asp-102, and Ser-195 (chymotrypsinogen numbering). This sequence homology is highest (40%) with plasmin, intermediate (35%) with pancreatic serine proteases, such as elastase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and kallikrein, and least (30%) with the serum enzymes thrombin and factor X. D, however, exhibits only minimal amino acid homology with the other sequenced complement serine proteases, Clr (25%) and Bb (20%). The substitution of a basic lysine for a neutral amino acid three residues NH2-terminal to the active-site serine as well as a small serine residue for a bulky aromatic amino acid at position 215 (chymotrypsinogen numbering) in the binding pocket may be important in determining the exquisite substrate specificity of D. The presence of His-40 which interacts with Asp-194 (chymotrypsinogen numbering) to stabilize other serine protease zymogens [Freer, S. T., Kraut, J., Robertus, J. D., Wright, H. T., & Xuong, N. H. (1970) Biochemistry 9, 1997] argues in favor of such a D precursor molecule.

Use of mini-octadecylsilane ultrasphere column in high-pressure liquid chromatography for protein structural studies.

Using a single mini-octadecylsilane (ODS) 5-micron ultrasphere column (0.46 X 4.5 cm) and linear gradients of different solvents, all the aspects of protein structural analysis have been defined. The effectiveness of the system has been evaluated by separating the alpha and beta chains of hemoglobin and their tryptic peptides, then performing amino acid analysis and, finally, identifying the phenylthiohydantoin derivatives of amino acids.

Bunyavirus nucleoprotein, N, and a non-structural protein, NSS, are coded by overlapping reading frames in the S RNA.

It has been shown previously, by sequence analysis of the S RNA segment of snowshoe hare (SSH) bunyavirus, that two overlapping open reading frames in the viral complementary sequence code for proteins with molecular weights of 26.8 X 10(3) and 10.5 X 10(3) respectively. In addition to the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein, which is coded by the S RNA, analyses of parental and reassortant bunyavirus-infected cell extracts have shown that the viral S RNA and M RNA species each code for non-structural proteins (NSS and NSM, respectively). In the present report, in vitro translation analyses of the S mRNA species recovered from virus-infected cells indicate that a single size class of mRNA directs the synthesis of N and NSS. Compositional analyses of selected tryptic peptides of N and NSS have provided proof that N is the product of the first open reading frame, and NSS the product of the second.

A comparison of fluorescamine and o-phthaldialdehyde as effective blocking reagents in protein sequence analyses by the Beckman sequencer.

Use of o-phthaldialdehyde to chemically reduce the newly generated amino termini responsible for the progressively increasing background during an extended amino acid sequence analysis in a liquid phase sequencer has been described. The results have been compared with Fluram blocking using apomyoglobin and rabbit C-reactive protein as standard and unknown samples, respectively.