The transmembrane proteins in the plasma membrane of normal human erythrocytes. Evaluation employing lactoperoxidase and proteases

The molecular architecture of the human erythrocyte membrane has been probed using lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination in conjunction with Pronase hydrolysis. Resealed, hemoglobin-free ghosts were labeled at the cytoplasmic surface and the external membrane surface was subsequently digested with Pronase. Changes in size of the components labeled at the cytoplasmic surface were readily detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. The protein 3 molecular weight class labeled at the cytoplasmic surface was extensively hydrolyzed at the external surface to produce a major 65000 molecular weight fragment and a minor 45000 molecular weight fragment. When resealed membranes were labeled on the external surface the same 65000 molecular weight labeled component is produced. These results unequivocally demonstrate that the same polypeptides in the protein 3 molecular weight class that can be labeled by lactoperoxidase at the cytoplasmic membrane surface are digested by Pronase at the external surface and are, therefore, transmembrane components. Where it is possible to label one surface of a membrane with lactoperoxidase and reseal the membrane this procedure represents an alternate method for establishing transmembrane configuration of membrane proteins.

Effect of metabolic state on phytohemagglutinin-P agglutination of normal human erythrocytes

A reproducible quantitative assay for the lectin-mediated agglutination of human erythrocytes, depending on different rates of settling of agglutinated and nonagglutinated erythrocytes, was developed. This assay was used to study the aggregation of human erythrocytes by phytohemagglutinin-P. The aggregation of human erythrocytes by phytohemagglutinin-P was found to depend upon the metabolic state of the cells. Metabolically depleted erythrocytes agglutinated much less readily than did similar cells supplied with adenosine. This was not due to swelling and rigidity of the cells, since erythrocytes in hypotonic solution did not exhibit significantly altered phytohemagglutinin-P agglutination. Metabolically depleted erythrocytes, or erythrocytes from blood stored 8 weeks, lysed and resealed in the presence of ATP, were agglutinated by phytohemagglutinin-P to a much greater extent than control samples without ATP. The presence of Mg2+, either alone or with ATP, had little effect on the agglutinability of the resealed membranes. Low concentrations of Ca2+ (0.2 mM) had little effect on agglutinability, although high Ca2+ (5 mM) inhibited agglutinability of the resealed membranes somewhat. Both metabolically depleted erythrocytes and depleted erythrocytes, previously treated with adenosine, when treated with trypsin released similar amounts of sialic acid. The agglutinability of the trypsinized adenosine-supplemented cells increased more readily than did that of trypsinized metabolically depleted cells. The agglutination of erythrocytes was not affected by cytochalasin B (40 mug/ml). Vinblastine (0.2 mM) caused depleted erythrocytes to agglutinate similarly to adenosine-supplemented erythrocytes, but had no effect on the agglutination of adenosine-supplemented erythrocytes. It is concluded that ATP in the human erythrocyte probably participates in the modulation of phytohemagglutinin-P agglutinability. This is not a consequence of the more rigid membrane known to accompany ATP depletion in the erythrocyte, or of the effect of ATP levels on Ca2+ or Mg2+ content. It appears likely that ATP modulates human erythrocyte phytohemagglutinin-P agglutinability through interaction, direct or indirect, with a membrane-associated component, which might also be sensitivie to vinblastine.

A simple method for the prediction of ABO incompatibility using Sephadex A-50. Prediction of ABO incompatibility

A rapid and simple method of demonstrating the presence of high titre IgG anti-A or anti-B (anti A/B) is described. The method requires the separation of IgG anti-A/B from IgM anti-A/B using DEAE Sephadex A-50 by a simple spin technique, and the subsequent titration of the IgG fraction to detect the presence of high titre IgG anti-A/B. Since high titre IgG anti-A/B is usually associated with ABO incompatibility the test is a useful guide to the prediction of ABO incompatibility in routine antenatal samples.

Immunological and biophysical properties of hepatitis B antigen labeled by the chloramine-T and by the lactoperoxidase methods

Optimal conditions were sought for the radiolabeling of microgram quantities of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) employing the chloramine-T or lactoperoxidase iodination procedures. Preparations of HBsAg labeled by these procedures are referred to as chloramine-T preparations and lactoperoxidase preparations, respectively. Labeled HBsAg having specific activities between 10-20 muCi/mug were found to display the greatest degree of sensitivity for unlabeled HBsAg and for anti-HBs using a double-antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA-DA). Increasing the specific activity above this level redulted in a decreased affinity of labeled 1251-HBs Ag for anti-HBs, indicating that soluble antigenic alterations had developed. At equivalent specific activities, chloramine-T preparations competed less effectively for unlabeled HBs Ag than lactoperoxidase preparations, and anti-HBs endpoint titers were slightly reduced, especially among preparations of high specific activity (greater than or equal to 65 muCi/mug). Chloramine-T preparations of HBs Ag (sp. act. 15--30 muCi/mug) showed essentially no antigenic deterioration over a 2-month period at minus 196 degrees C or minus 70 degrees C. Utilization of optimally labeled 1251-HBs Ag has increased the sensitivity of the RIA-DA for unlabeled HBs Ag 30-fold to a level below 1 ng/ml and enhanced antiamine-T method revealed that only the most acidic population was labeled (pH 3.75+/-0.5). In contrast, six antigenic components with distinct pI values ranging from 3.7 to 5.2 were detected by RIA-DA in both unlabeled HBs ag and in the chloramine-T preparation. This indicated that the chloramine-T method did not radically change the relative number or charge of each of the pI populations present in purified preparations of HBs Ag. Analysis of HBs Ag iodinated by the lactoperoxidase procedure revealed the presence of three of four populations of particles with pI values ranging from 3.9 to 4.5, suggesting that this procedure labels HBs Ag more uniformly.

The distinguishing characteristics of the plasma membrane are its exposed proteins

The exposed proteins of the plasma membrane of normal human lymphocytes and platelets were labelled by using the lactoperoxidase macromolecular probe system. The labelled components were separated into molecular-weight classes by sodium dodecyl sulphate--polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. In contrast with the report by Tanner et al. (1974), a comparison of the two cell types showed that the major labelled components in both cell types were glycoproteins and were not identical. It is concluded that the exposed proteins are probably the most distinguishing characteristic of the plasma membrane of differentiated cell types.

Separate intramolecular pathways for reduction and oxidation of cytochrome c in electron transport chain reactions

The monoiodotyrosine 74, formyltryptophan 59, mononitrotyrosine 67, and carboxymethylmethionine 80 derivatives of horse cytochrome c are defective in their ability to accept electrons from the succinate-cytochrome c reductase system, while their reactions with purified cytochrome c oxidase are essentially those of the native protein. The 4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole derivative of lysine 13 of horse cytochrome c and the bis-phenylglyoxal derivative of arginine 13 of Candida krusei cytochrome c have the opposite properties, in that they are readily reduced by the succinate-cytochrome c reductase (EC 1.3.99.1) system but are defective in their capability of transferring electrons to cytochrome c oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1). We conclude that electrons from mitochondrial cytochrome c reductase are transmitted to ferricytochrome c by a different pathway than electrons from ferrocytochrome c to cytochrome c oxidase. The present results are compatible with the concept that the mechanism of reduction involves an aromatic ring channel comprising residues 74, 59, 67, and 80, leading from the "left back" part of the protein to the heme iron. On the other hand, since residue 13 is immediately above the edge of the heme that is at the "front surface" of the molecule, we suggest that the electron leaves ferrocytochrome c to cytochrome c oxidase by way of the edge of pyrrole ring II or the adjacent surface-located sulfur of cysteinyl residue 17, which is thioether bonded to the heme. On this basis, the sites of electron entry and exit in cytochrome c would appear to be some 110 degrees of arc away from each other along the surface of the protein, explaining several previously observed phenomena.

The kinetics of the formation of the primary lactoperoxidase-hydrogen peroxide compound

The kinetics of the formation of the primary lactoperoxidase – hydrogen peroxide compound (compound I) at 25 °C have been studied over the pH range 3.0–10.8 by steady state methods. The second-order rate constant k1 is pH-independent over the pH region investigated, having a value of (9.2 ± 0.9) × 106M−1s−1. An anomalous effect of formate buffer on the kinetics of the formation of compound I is reported.