Determination of the secondary structures of proteins by circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion

Complexes of DNA with histones f2a2 and f3. Circular dichroism studies

Two histones from calf thymus, the slightly lysine-rich histone f2a2 and the arginine-rich f3, were combined separately, with homologous DNA. The complexes were reconstituted by means of guanidine hydrochloride gradient dialysis, and their circular dichroic (CD) spectra were examined in 0.14 M NaCl. The CD spectra of f2a2-DNA complexes are characterized by a positive band at 272 nm which is blue-shifted and greatly enhanced relative to the corresponding band for native DNA. This type of CD change was noted previously with f2a1-DNA and f2b-DNA complexes. In contrast, f3 histone causes only minor distortions in the DNA CD spectrum, and their character depends upon the state of the two sulfhydryl groups in f3. When the cysteines are reduced, f3-DNA complexes have a slightly increased positive band with a small blue shift; when oxidized disulfide is the predominant form, this CD band becomes slightly smaller than native DNA value. This laboratory has now examined complexes reconstituted from DNA and all five histones of calf thymus. The sum of the CD spectra of these complexes, although very similar to the CD curve for reconstituted complexes containing whole histone, does not approximate that of chromatin; the consequence of this observation is discussed.

Allophycocyanin from the filamentous cyanophyte, Phormidium luridum

Allophycocyanin from the filamentous cyanophyte, Phormidium luridum, was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and ion exchange chromatography on brushite columns. The specific absorption coefficient (E 0.1% 1cm) of purified allophycocyanin was 6.1 in distilled water and 7.3 in 0.05 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7). Absorption maxima of allophycocyanin occurred at 650, 618 (shoulder), 350, and 275 nm. Circular dichroic spectra displayed positive ellipticity bands at 655 and 625 nm, and a major negative ellipticity band at 340 nm. Computer analysis of the circular dichroic spectrum of allophycocyanin from 207 to 243 nm indicated that the secondary structure contained 60% alpha helix and 40% beta form. The estimated molecular weight of allophycocyanin on Sephadex G-200 columns at pH 7.0 was 155,000. Electrophoretic examination of allophycocyanin on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels revealed two subunits, alpha and beta, with apparent molecular weights of 17,300 and 19,000, respectively. Densitometric analysis of unstained gels at 600 nm indicated that one phycocyanobilin chromophore was associated with each subunit. Treatment of allophycocyanin with 12% formic acid or 8 M urea and subsequent removal of the denaturant yielded a derivative with spectroscopic characteristics similar to phycocyanin. Subsequent incubation in phosphate buffer (pH 7), but not in acetate buffer (pH 5) or in water, was accompanied by a progressive reappearance of absorption maxima at 650 and 618 nm (shoulder), and positive ellipticity bands at 655 and 617 nm. Automated sequence analysis of allophycocyanin (a) showed that the sequence of amino acids at the amino terminus of the alpha and beta subunits is different, (b) showed that the subunits occur in a ratio of 1:1, and (c) demonstrated sequence homology at the amino terminus of allophycocyanin, phycocyanin, and phycoerythrin.

The relation of conformation and association of insulin to receptor binding; x-ray and circular-dichroism studies on bovine and hystricomorph insulins

Crystal and solution structure studies on insulins of different sequences and of widely different receptor binding affinities are reported. Bovine insulin, studied as a control, has a circular dichroism spectrum which is dependent both on protein concentration and zinc concentration. The spectrum appears to be related to the level of association of the insulin molecules. This implies that when using circular dichroism to compare solution structures of insulin derivatives or species variants one must make the comparison at equivalent levels of association and not merely at the same concentration. Changes in circular dichroism are related to the known crystal structure of zinc insulin hexamers. The chinchilla insulin spectrum shows a reduced zinc dependence in low-salt conditions which correlates with the inability to form crystals in similar conditions. This is attributed to an amino acid substitution at position B4. Crystals are obtained in high-salt conditions and X-ray diffraction patterns show these to be isomorphous with bovine 4Zn insulin crystals. Guinea pig insulin failed to crystallise under conditions which are normally conducive to the formation of crystals of zinc insulin hexamers and the circular dichroism showed no zinc dependence. This is consistent with a monomeric structure. The significance of the association behaviour of chinchilla and guinea pig insulins may be in the storage of the hormone in vivo. Whereas the monomeric form of chinchilla insulin has a structure closely related to bovine insulin, the circular dichroism indicates a gross structural difference for guinea pig insulin. This may be similar to that in des-A21, des-B30-insulin, as both lack the Arg-B22--Asn-A21 carboxylate ion pair. The similarity of structure of chinchilla and bovine insulins is reflected in their receptor binding whereas the low receptor binding of guinea pig insulin probably results from the changes in its conformation rather than an alteration in residues of a receptor binding region.

Circular dichroism and gel filtration behavior of subtilisin enzymes in concentrated solutions of guanidine hydrochloride

The circular dichroism of diisopropylphosphorylsubtilisins Novo and Carlsberg in both the near- and farultraviolet spectral regions is unaltered by concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride as high as 4 M at neutral pH. At concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride greater than 4 M slow irreversible time-dependent changes, apparently obeying second-order kinetics, are evident in both the near- and far-ultraviolet circular dichroism of these enzymes. Gel filtration studies of inactivated subtilisin enzymes reveal the circular dichroism changes to be accompained by the appearance of aggregated protein material. The changes in circular dichroism and the production of associated subtilisin species are sensitive to protein concentration, denaturant concentrations, and pH. The circular dichroism of active subtilisins Novo and Carlsberg in guanidine hydrochloride exhibits irreversible changes similar to those observed for the inactivated subtilisins. Aggregated protein material is also formed initially in the presence of guanidine hydrochloride, but is rapidly autolyzed to low molecular weight fragments.

Circular dichroism and fluorescence studies on the binding of ligands to the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase

Binding to the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase induces extrinsic Cotton effects in the substrates indole (IND), indoleglycerol phosphate (IGP), and D-glyceraldehyde-3-P (D-GAP) and in the inhibitor indolepropanol phosphate (IPP). These effects disappear when the enzyme is denatured in guanidinium chloride. The induced circular dichroism (CD) was used to determine the dissociation constant and the number of binding sites for IPP. The dissociation constant so determined is equal to 48 muM and is in good agreement with the value of 48 muM obtained by equilibrium dialysis. From the temperature dependence of the dissociation constant, a value of -2.8 kcal/mol for the binding enthalpy was obtained. The determination of dissociation constants by means of extrinsic Cotton effects is shown to be quite feasible. CD competition experiments with glycerol phosphate (GP) suggest that IPP binds bifunctionally to the enzyme: via its indole part and its phosphate group. Indolepropanol, which lacks the phosphate group, does not show an extrinsic Cotton effect. Since the induced CD is strongly dependent on the binding geometry, the close similarity between the induced spectra in IPP and IGP is additional evidence that IPP is a good substrate analog. Binding to the enzyme results in a blue shift of the IPP fluorescence emission maximum. The dissociation constant determined by fluorescence titration equals 46 muM and agrees well with the values determined by the other two methods. Previous biochemical and fast kinetic studies suggested the existence of multiple conformational states for the enzyme and of ligand-induced conformational changes. No evidence was found in the far-uv CD spectra for conformational changes upon binding of IND and D-GAP. For IPP a very small effect was observed.

Infrared spectroscopic studies of solvent-induced conformational changes in globular proteins

Infrared absorption spectroscopy has been used to study the effect of organic solvents on the conformation of myoglobin, apomyoglobin, hemoglobin, lysozyme and ribonuclease. Beta structure can easily be induced by specific solvent effects. Films prepared from a 50% (v/v) mixture of alcohol, acetone, pyridine, tetrahydrofuran or dimethylsulfoxide/water mixtures show a high proportion of beta structure. The degree of induction of beta structure depends on the hydrocarbon content of the alcohol in the order methanol greater than ethanol greater than butanol. No beta structure was observed in films prepared from aqueous octanol solutions. Lyophilization tends to decrease secondary structure. The conformation of the proteins depends on the particular solvent system and the solvent composition. Solution studies of myoglobin in pure dimethylsulfoxide show that the conformation is a mixture of random and beta forms while in dimethylsulfoxide/2H2O mixtures the conformation is a mixture of alpha-helical and beta forms.

Broad-specificity proteinase inhibitors in Scopolia japonica (Solanaceae) cultured cells. Isolation, physicochemical properties, and inhibition kinetics

Proteinase inhibitors were isolated from Scopolia japonica cultured cells. Isolation procedures involve concentration by a hydrophobic resin of Diaion HP-20, decolorization by Duolite A-7, affinity chromatography on trypsin-Sepharose, and Bio-Gel P-4 chromatography. It was found that the proteinase inhibitors from S. japonica cells are a mixture of at least five components. For the inhibitory components except one, amino acid analyses, measurements of sedimentation equilibrium and optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) were carried out. The inhibitors were shown to be the polypeptides with molecular weights in the range of approximately 4000 to 6000. In addition, one of them was found to have approximately 15% alpha-helical conformation by the Moffitt-Yang analysis of ORD data. The inhibitors were found to have potent inhibitory activity for trypsin, chymotrypsin, plasmin, kallikrein and pepsin but not for papain with synthetic and natural substrates. These inhibitors formed stable complexes with trypsin and chymotrypsin in an equimolar ratio, and their inhibitory mechanisms for both enzymes were of non-competitive type.

Comparison between histones FV and F2a2 of chicken erythrocyte. I. Structure, stability and conformation of the free proteins

Purified chicken erythrocyte histones FV and F2a2 were studied by means of circular dichroism as a function of ionic strength and temperature. The percentage of alpha-helical regions was calculated by comparison with reference spectra obtained with four standard proteins of known tertiary structure. Maximal alpha-helical organization, reached in high ionic strength, was estimated to 14% and 23% for FV and F2a2 respectively. We have compared our experimental determinations of the secondary structure of F2a2 with predictions made from amino-acid sequence according to Fasman's rules. When instability induced by the presence of charged residues close together is taken into account, a good agreement is found between predicted and observed values. The thermal denaturation of FV is cooperative and, unlike F2a2, seems to obey a two-state transition. The classical Arrhenius plot is linear, which indicates that the heat capacity is the same in both the native and the denatured state. Such a behaviour is typical of an expanded configuration of FV even in the "native" state.

Analysis of the conformation of polypeptides : the combined use of energy computations and nuclear magnetic resonance studies

This review surveys current approaches to the problem of determining the solution conformation of polypeptides. The basic principles of energy computations are described. The utility, problems, and limitations of various theoretical methods are summarized: conformational energy mapping, energy minimization, scanning of selected local conformations, statistical predictive schemes. The need for combining the calculations with experimental studies is pointed out. The information content of various physico-chemical methods is compared for this purpose. The analysis of nmr coupling constants is discussed in more detail. In combination with energy computations, it can furnish specific information on local aspects of the conformation. Examples of such combined studies on small peptides are summarized.

Circular dichroism analysis of the secondary structure of Z protein and its complexes with bilirubin and other organic anions

Circular dichroism (CD) methods were employed to study the conformation of Z protein and characterize its complexes with bilirubin and other organic anions. Z protein-bilirubin complexes exhibited a spectrum with overlapping ellipticity bands of opposite sign in the bilirubin absorption region. These results were compared with those obtained with ligandin, the other major organic anion binding protein of liver. Secondary structural differences between the two proteins were easily demonstrated since ligandin is predominantly an alpha-helical protein and Z features mainly beta-structure. Furthermore, the optical activity pattern generated by bilirubin binding to Z was virtually a mirror image of that of the ligandin bilirubin system. CD experiments were designed to study the direct transfer of bilirubin between Z protein and ligandin, and it was shown that both proteins have almost equal affinities for bilirubin. The bilirubin on Z was readily displaced by oleic acid and displaced to a lesser extent by sulfobromophthalein,

Structural and functional studies of ligandin, a major renal organic anion-binding protein

Sephadex gel filtration of the 1000,000 g supernate of homogenates of rat kidney revealed binding of various organic anions (penicillin, Bromsulphalein [BSP], bilirubin, phenolsulfonphthalein [PSP], phlorizin, glutathione [GSH], p-amino hippurate (PAH), probenecid, conjugated bilirubin, and BSP-GSH) to a nonalbumin-containing protein fraction (Y), which precipated on addition of monospecific anti-rat liver ligandin (Y protein)-IgG, but not control IgG. Quantitatively similar organic anion binding was observed in vivo after injection of BSP, BSP-GSH, phlorizin, probenecid, conjugated bilirubin, PAH, or penicillin. The binding protein was purified to apparent homogeneity and is a basic protein (pI 8.9) of 44,000 daltons with two apparently identical subunits of 22,000 daltons. Monospecific antibody was produced against the renal protein. The results of binding studies in vivo and in vitro and phsicochemical, immunologic, structural, and binding site investigations indicate that the renal protein is identical to hepatic ligandin. Immunofluorescent studies utilizing anti-ligandin IgG previously localized ligandin in the kidney to all proximal tubular cells. By quantitative radial immunodiffusion, the concentration of renal ligandin was 31.2 plus or minus 2.2 mug/mg supernatant protein and was increased 160% above basal values by pretreatment of rats with tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin. Pretreatment with phenobarbital, DDT, or pregnene-16alpha-carbonitrile did not increase renal ligandin concentration but doubled hepatic ligandin concentration. Circular dichroism studies of renal ligandin revealed percent helical structure similar to hepatic ligandin and primary association contrasts were derived for BSP (10-6 M-1) and PAH, probenecid, and penicillin (10-3 M-1). Administration of BSP or probenecid simultaneously with [C14] penicillin resulted in increased plasma retention and reduced kidney and urinary bladder content of [14C] penicillin and a correlation coefficient of -0.8 between total kidney/plasma radioactivity and percent of protein-bound radioactivity bound to ligandin in the kidney. These studies indicate that renal and hepatic ligandin are identical. Their response to drugs and chemicals varies. Competitive binding between several organic anions for ligandin correlated with their renal uptake from plasma, which suggests that ligandin may function in the proximal tubular cell as a component of the renal organic anion transport system.

Chicken fumarase. I. Purification and characterization

Fumarase from chicken heart is purified 400 times from the crude muscle extract. The isolation procedure includes ammonium sulfate fractionations, Bio-Gel P-300 column chromatography and electrofocusings on pH-gradients from pH 3 to 10 and from pH 7 to 9. Chicken fumarase behaves as an homogeneous protein in sedimentation, diffusion and electrofocusing studies; the protein possesses a single amino-terminal residue: lysine. The analysis of the CD and ORD spectra suggests the presence of 60-65 p. cent of alpha-helix, 0 - 5 p. cent of beta-structure with the remaining portions of the protein in an unordered conformation. Chicken fumarase is found to be composed of 4 subunits of identical molecular weight (51.000) and devoid of disulfide bridges. Finally, the physicochemical properties of chicken fumarase are compared with those of the porcine enzyme.

Interaction of histone f2al fragments with deoxyribonucleic acid. Circular dichroism and thermal denaturation studies

The glycine-arginine-rich histone, f2al (IV) (102 amino acids), from calf thymus was cleaved at residue 84 with cyanogen bromide. Complexes containing homologous DNA and each f2al fragment were reconstituted by means of Gdn-HC1 gradient dialysis. The circular dichroic (CD) spectra of these complexes were all examined in 0.14 M NaC1. The CD spectra of the DNA-f2al fragment complexes did not differ appreciably from that of DNA alone in the wavelength region above 240 nm. However, intact f2al-DNA complexes yield CD spectra which differ significantly (enhanced, blue-shifted, 273-nm band) from that of native DNA (Shih and Fasman, 1971). The small C-terminal fragment (85-102) was bound weakly to DNA under the conditions used. However, the large basic N-terminal fragment (1-83) was bound as well to DNA as was whole f2al, but produced no CD distortion. The conformation of the N-terminal fragment, unlike intact f2al, was not changed upon increasing the ionic strength to 0.14 M NaF. These results complement previous studies on f2al and its N-terminal CNBr fragment (Ziccardi and Schumaker, 1973). Thermal denaturation of the complexes in 2.5 X 10(-4) M EDTA was monitored simultaneously by changes in the absorption and CD spectra. All complexes showed a thermal transition at 45 degrees (Tml), attributable to the melting of free, double-stranded DNA. In addition, f2al-DNA and N fragment-DNA complexes displayed melting phenomena at 88 and 78 degrees (Tm2), respectively, caused by the denaturation of the histone-bound DNA. This difference in Tm2 constitutes further evidence that loss of the 18-amino-acid carboxyl end segment of f2al prohibits the unique type of interaction which occurs between DNA and the intact histone.

Phage T4 lysozyme. Physical properties and reversible unfolding

Phage T4 lysozyme has been used extensively in studies of the genetic code. However, little work has been done on the characterization of the purified enzyme. Therefore, we determined the spectral properties of native T4 lysozyme and used these properties to follow the unfolding transition. The ultraviolet absorption spectrum and solvent perturbation difference spectrum indicate that the aromatic amino acids are extensively exposed to solvent. The CD and ORD spectra are characteristic of a high fraction of helix. Guanidine hydrochloride denaturation results show that over a T4 lysozyme concentration range of 0.07-1 g/l the c-m equals 2.7 M guanidine hydrochloride at pH 5 and that the transition is 100% reversible as judged by enzymatic assay and four different spectrophotometric criteria: CD at 295 nm, CD at 223 nm, fluorescence intensity at 350 nm and wavelength of maximum fluorescence. Guanidine hydrochloride denaturation at pH 2.5 was followed using fluorescence emission and has a c-m equals 1.7 M guanidine hydrochloride, indicating a strong pH dependence of chemical unfolding. Reversible thermal denaturation conditions were located at acid pH, 0.2 M NaCl, 10-4 M dithiothreitol and 10-6 M T4 lysozyme. The CD signal at 223 nm was used to measure the unfolding. Thermodynamic analysis of the thermal data showed an increase in T-m, increment H-unf and increment S-unf with increasing pH.

Circular dichroism of erythrocyte membrane glycoproteins

The circular dichroism spectra were obtained for purified equine, human and bovine membrane glycoproteins, which have 40, 55 and 70% carbohydrate, respectively. The spectra in aqueous buffer show similar shapes, maxima and minima but somewhat different peak amplitudes. Analysis of the spectra indicated that the glycoproteins can be pictured as existing primarily in an unordered form in dilute aqueous buffer with small amounts of alpha-helix (13-23%) present. In 2-chloroethanol, a helix-promoting solvent, the amount of alpha-helix is increased to 60-70%. The glycoproteins underwent denaturation in guanidine hydrochloride, although evidence of some residual structure did remain. The spectra of the glycoproteins change relatively little on going from aqueous buffer to dodecylsulfate solutions. Removal of 60% of the sialic acid does not induce significant conformational alterations. The anomalous behavior of the glycoproteins during molecular weight determinations does not appear to be related primarily to conformational restrictions on the polypeptide chain.

Binding of lactose repressor to poly d(A-T) : OD AND CD melting of the complex

The binding of lactose repressor to poly d(A-T) at low ionic strength has been investigated by heat denaturation. The poly d(A-T) melting is monitored by optical density and the protein melting by circular dichroism. From the modification of the poly d(A-T) melting curve we estimate a maximum binding ratio of about one tetrameric repressor to about 20 basic pairs. The repressor melting can be interpreted as a global shift from a to b structure of about 25 residues per subunit. The melting curves of poly d(A-T) and repressor have not a shape easy to interpret; nevertheless both show a cooperative transition in the same temperature range where we can evaluate that about 3.8 aminoacid residues shift from a to b structure when 1 bases pair melt.

Naja melanoleuca (forest cobra) venom. Purification and some properties of phospholipases A

Three phospholipases A (Fractions DE-I, DE-II and DE-III) were purified from Naja melanoleuca (Forest cobra) venom by a combination of gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 and chromatography on DEAE-cellulosemthe purified phospholipases A were homogeneous by various physicochemical criteria. Whereas Fraction DE-I contains 118 amino acid residues, Fractions DE-II and DE-III comprise 119 residues. The three enzymes are cross-linked by seven disulphide bridges, have asparagine as N-terminal amino acid and the C-terminal is glutamic acid or glutamine. The molecular weights of the three phospholipases A from sedimentation analysis at pH 2.1, also by the sodium dodecylsulphate-gel method and calculated from the amino acid composition, were close to 13 000. Studies of circular dichroism in the spectral region between 195 to 305 nm showed that the three phospholipases A contain similar helical contents but revealed conformational differences between their side-chain chromophores.

Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. Spectropolarimetric and Spectrophotometric studies

Protein A, a cell-wall protein from Staphylococcus aureus, has been studied by spectrophotometry and spectropolarimetry. All the four tyrosines are similarily titrated with pK-a equals 10.25. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra show that the conformation of protein A is very stable over a large pH interval (0.99-11.8). The conformation is partly intact even in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and at 80 degrees C. Protein A contains about 50% alpha-helical structure and 10-20% beta-structures. CD band maxima at 261 and 268 nm are ascribed to transitions in the phenylalanine residues and ellipticities between 275-285 nm to the tyrosine residues. Of the four tyrosines, 3.5 are perturbed by 20% polyethylene glycol, while all of them are perturbed by 20% dimethylsulfoxide. The role of the tyrosines in the reaction with the Fc-region of immunoglobulins is discussed.

Circular dichroism and fluorescence studies on potato virus X and its structural components

Circular dichroism (DC) measurements of the coat protein subunits of potato virus X show that native subunits that can reassemble with RNA to form infectious virus particles have appreciable alpha-helical structure. The CD of intact potato virus X was less intense below and more intense above 250 nm, and the maxima and minima were at longer wavelengths, than those of a CD spectrum computed from the individual contributions of the coat protein and RNA. The differences between the measured and computed spectra below 250 nm were attributed to the effects of differential light scattering and absorption flattening on measurements of the virus particle CD. The differences at longer wavelengths, were the CD contribution of the nucleic acid predominates, probably reflect the difference between a base-paired conformation of the RNA in solution and the more rigid single-stranded conformation imposed by the structure of the virus. The CD evidence suggests that the tertiary structure and potato virus X coat protein subunits in solution and in intact virus particles is similar. Both CD and fluorescence emission results indicate differences between the tryptophan environment in dissociated protein subunits and that in intact virus. These are attributed to local differences in subunit conformation or to the occurrence of intersubunit interactions involving tryptophan in the intact virus.

Evidence for structural dissociation of two biologic actions of growth hormone

The effects of purified growth hormone and its CNBr fragments on somatomedin induction and on the stimulation of hepatic and renal ornithine decarboxylase (L-ornithine carboxylase, EC 4.1.1.17) activity in rats have been investigated. At the doses tested, none of the CNBr fragments induced somatomedin as evidenced by lack of an effect on sulfate, leucine, and thymidine incorporation into cartilage of hypophysectomized rats. However, the largest fragment, consisting of two peptides corresponding to Residues 6-124 and 150-179 linked by a disulfide bridge, stimulated both renal and hepatic ornithine decarboxylase activity in hypophysectomized rats and the activity of the hepatic enzyme in intact animals. A smaller CNBr fragment corresponding to Residues 125-149 slightly stimulated the activity of renal ornithine decarboxylase but failed to increase activity of the hepatic enzyme. A similar slight stimulation of the activity of the renal, but not the hepatic, enzyme was produced by a large carboxyl-terminal fragment (molecular weight 8000) prepared by proteolytic cleavage of partially purified ovine growth hormone. Circular dichroic spectra of the CNBr fragments demonstrated that the largest fragment retained much of the ordered secondary structure of intact growth hormone while two smaller CNBr fragments were devoid of ordered secondary structure. These observations indicate that different biological activities of growth hormone may be dissociated by fragmentation of the parent molecule.

The secondary structure of human Hageman factor (factor XII) and its alteration by activating agents

Hageman factor (factor XII) is activated by exposure to surfaces such as glass or by solutions of certain compounds, notably ellagic acid. Changes in the structure of Hageman factor accompanying activation have been examined in this study by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The spectrum of unactivated Hageman factor in aqueous solutions suggests that its conformation is mainly aperiodic. Various perturbants altered the conformation of Hageman factor in differing ways, demonstrating the sensitivity of Hageman factor to its environment. After activation of Hageman factor with solutions of ellagic acid, a negative trough appeared in the region of the circular dichroism spectrum commonly assigned to tyrosine residues, along with other minor changes in the peptide spectral region. Some of these changes are similar to changes that occurred upon partial neutralization of the basic residues at alkali pH. Activation of Hageman factor by adsorption to quartz surfaces (in an aqueous environment) also produced changes similar to those in the ellagic acid-activated Hageman factor, including the negative ellipticity in the tyrosine region. These observations suggest that the activation process may be related to a change in status of some of the basic amino acid residues, coupled with a specific change in the environment of some tyrosine residues. The importance of these changes during the activation process remains to be determined. The sensitivity of Hageman factor to its environment is consistent with the view that the initiation of clotting by exposure of plasma to appropriate agents is brought about by alterations in the conformation of Hageman factor that occur in the apparent absence of Fletcher factor or other recognized clotting factors.

Interactions of an intact proteoglycan and its fragments with basic homopolypeptides in dilute aqueous solution

The interactions between a proteoglycan and cationic polypeptides have been investigated by the use of circular-dichroism spectroscopy. The interaction produces an induced conformational change for poly(l-arginine) and poly(l-lysine), similar to the effects previously reported for mucopolysaccharide-polypeptide mixtures. For bovine nasal septum proteoglycan, the interactions are similar to those for chondroitin 4-sulphate, which comprises approximately 63% of the total polysaccharide. The results also suggest that the interactions produce a conformational change in the protein core. Similar studies for the Smith-degradation product show that the protein core can adopt a substantial alpha-helical content and is capable of interactions with poly-(l-arginine). The interactions for chondroitin sulphate ;doublets' are significantly different from those for the separated chains, indicating that the arrangement of the polysaccharide side chains in pairs (and larger groups) along the protein backbone contributes to the interaction properties of the intact proteoglycan.