Studies on the Protein Portion of Thyroglobulin

Amino acid analysis of sub-picomolar amounts of proteins by precolumn fluorescence derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate

Amino acid analysis (AAA) method is the most accurate methodology for absolute quantification of proteins. The conventional postcolumn method employing ninhydrin labeling of amino acids, which is adopted in automatic amino acid analyzer, is limited by low sensitivity. Therefore, a highly sensitive AAA method is required to confirm the data obtained from mass spectrometry or N-terminal sequence analysis. To increase the sensitivity of AAA, an analytical method based on precolumn derivatization with fluorescent 6-aminoquinolyl-carbamyl (AQC) reagent and separation of the AQC-amino acid derivatives by ion-pair chromatography using a reversed-phase column is reported herein. The sensitive analysis of low abundance proteins requires strict prevention of environmental contamination. In this review, we provide a protocol for high sensitivity amino acid analysis and show that the amino acid composition of bovine serum albumin below 100 ng, i.e., 1.5 pmol, determined using the presented method, matched with the theoretical composition in with low standard deviations. These results suggest that the current AAA method is potentially applicable for highly sensitive analysis as a complement to mass spectrometry-based proteomics.

Presence of beta-linked GalNAc residues on N-glycans of human thyroglobulin

Hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor, which may mediate the clearance of circulating thyroglobulin, is known to have a high affinity for GalNAc. Recently, the receptor has been reported to be present also in the thyroid, implicating interaction with thyroglobulin. Here, mammalian thyroglobulins were analyzed for GalNAc termini by Western blotting with GalNAc-recognizing lectins labeled with peroxidase or (125)I. Wistaria floribunda lectin was found to bind human thyroglobulin and, to some extent, bovine, but not porcine thyroglobulin. After desialylation, the lectin bound all of the thyroglobulins tested. The binding was inhibited by competitive inhibitor GalNAc. Peptide N-glycanase treatment of human desialylated thyroglobulin resulted in the complete loss of reactivity with W. floribunda lectin, indicating that the binding sites are exclusively on N-glycans. The binding sites on human desialylated thyroglobulin were partly sensitive to beta-galactosidase, and the remainder was essentially sensitive to beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase. On the other hand, the binding sites of bovine and porcine desialylated thyroglobulins were totally sensitive to beta-galactosidase. Thus the lectin binds beta-Gal termini, as well as beta-GalNAc. GalNAc-specific Dolichos biflorus lectin also bound human thyroglobulin weakly. In contrast to W. floribunda lectin, desialylation diminished binding, suggesting that these two lectins recognize different GalNAc-terminated structures. Again, the binding was inhibited by GalNAc and by treatment with peptide N-glycanase. These results strongly indicate the presence of distinct GalNAc termini of N-glycans on human thyroglobulin.

A comparative review of the structure and biosynthesis of thyroglobulin

Thyroglobulin, the major iodoglycoprotein of the thyroid (Mr 669 kDa) has a sedimentation coefficient of 19 S and an isoelectric point (pI) of 4.4-4.7. The protein has been isolated and purified from saline extracts of the gland of several animal species, by methods such as ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography and Sepharose 4B/6B gel-filtration. DEAE-cellulose chromatography of thyroglobulin from many species, by linear gradient, yielded a complex elution pattern, while camel thyroglobulin showed only a major and minor peak. As an iodoprotein, the protein has 0.1-2.0% iodine. The amino acid and iodoamino acid composition of thyroglobulins, in general, is similar. However, a high thyroxine content (15 mol/mol protein) has been noted for buffalo species. Asparagine or aspartic acid has been reported as the major N-terminal amino acid for thyroglobulins of several animal species whereas glutamic acid is the sole N-terminal amino acid for buffalo thyroglobulin. As a glycoprotein, thyroglobulin contains 8-10% total carbohydrate with galactose, mannose, fucose, N-acetyl glucosamine and sialic acid residues. The carbohydrate in the protein is distributed as two distinct units, A and B. In addition, human thyroglobulin has carbohydrate unit C. The occurrence of sulfate and phosphate as Gal-3-SO4 and Man-6-PO4, respectively, has been reported in few species. The quaternary structure of native thyroglobulin is comprised of two equal sized subunits of 330 kDa. However, the protein appears to contain 4-8 non-identical units in few species. The synthesis of thyroid hormones occurs in the matrix of the protein and is regulated by pituitary thyrotropin. The role of tyrosine residues 5 and 130 in thyroxine synthesis has been well documented.

Buffalo thyroglobulin

1. Buffalo thyroglobulin is the major iodoprotein of buffalo thyroid with a sedimentation coefficient of 19 S and an apparent molecular mass of 685 kDa. 2. The protein is rich in iodine (1-2%) and thyroxine bound iodine (75%), unlike thyroglobulins of other mammalian species. 3. As a glycoprotein, it has the same sugar residues as noted for other thyroglobulins, and the total carbohydrate content varies from 8.41 to 9.61%. 4. Amino acid composition of buffalo thyroglobulin is similar to other species. However, the protein has 2% more proline than other mammalian thyroglobulins. 5. Glutamic acid is the sole N-terminal amino acid of buffalo thyroglobulin, in contrast to aspartic acid or asparagine for several other species. 6. The quaternary structure of the protein appears to be comprised of eight non-identical subunits.

Presence of hormonogenic and repetitive domains in the first 930 amino acids of bovine thyroglobulin as deduced from the cDNA sequence

The sequence of the first 2831 nucleotides of bovine thyroglobulin mRNA has been determined from the analysis of a cDNA clone. Following a 41-nucleotide 5' untranslated sequence, a single open-reading frame encoding 930 amino acids was observed. This corresponds to the aminoterminal third of thyroglobulin, preceded by a putative signal peptide of 19 amino acids. The protein sequence was found to be essentially made of the sevenfold repetition of a 60-amino-acid-long building unit, interrupted at fixed positions by unrelated segments of variable length. The presence of an internal homology within the repetitive unit itself suggests that the 5' region of the thyroglobulin gene has evolved from the initial duplication of a relatively short sequence, followed by the serial duplication of the resulting unit. The tyrosine residue at position five has been assigned an important hormonogenic function [Mercken, L., Simons, M.-J. and Vassart, G. (1982) FEBS Lett. 149, 285-287]. This residue is flanked by sequence elements related to the repeated unit, suggesting that the hormonogenic domain evolved also from the basic ancestor sequence.

The structure of a naturally occuring 10K polypeptide derived from the amino terminus of bovine thyroglobulin

A combination of data derived from peptide sequencing and nucleic acid sequencing of cloned cDNA fragments has been used to define the complete amino acid sequence of a 10,000 M.W., thyroxine containing polypeptide derived from bovine thyroglobulin. This fragment, TG-F, which was obtained following reduction and alkylation, has been placed at the amino terminus of the parent protein with hormone located at residue 5 in the primary sequence of the thyroglobulin molecule. The carboxyl terminal sequence of this fragment -Cys-Gln-Leu-Gln is found on the N-terminal side of a lys residue, suggesting that the peptide bond cleavage which occurs to produce this 80 residue fragment from the parent (330K) thyroglobulin chain is a gln-lys. In addition, the amino acid sequence of this 10K fragment contains: No sequence which would be a substrate for glycosylation and no carbohydrate. Several repeated homologous amino acid sequences. A striking number of beta-bends predicted from Chou-Fasman analyses, particularly near its carboxyl terminus.

Vitamin A-deficiency impairs the normal mannosylation, conformation and iodination of thyroglobulin: a new etiological approach to endemic goitre

This study was undertaken in order to validate the hypothesis that vitamin A-deficiency alters the structure of thyroglobulin (Tg). For that purpose, four groups of 20 Sprague-Dawley rats were submitted during two months to varying dietary conditions, namely a control diet (C+), a vitamin A-deficient diet (A-), an iodine-deficient diet (I-) and a diet characterized by the association of both deficiencies (A-I-). Both the conventional parameters of thyroid function, the intracellular steps of Tg glycosylation and iodination were analyzed. In the A- and A-I- groups, blood levels of retinol fell to one tenth of the control mean and circulating concentrations of total and free T4 and T3 increased significantly. This biochemical hyperthyroidism contrasted with the maintenance of normal TSH plasma values, suggesting a generalized peripheral refractoriness to thyroid hormones. In both A- and A-I- groups, thyroid cytosol 3H-RPM (retinyl-phosphate-mannose) and 3H-mannose incorporation into the core of the 12S-Tg and 19S-Tg species were reduced by 40-50%. In contrast, cytosolic concentrations of 3H-DPM (dolichyl-phosphate-mannose) rose, suggesting that the N-glycosylation pathways are affected in opposite direction. The sedimentation coefficient in sucrose gradient of the purified dimeric 125I-19S-Tg after guanidine 6M and dithiothreitol denaturation showed that most of the A- Tg molecules were transformed into monomeric 12S species, implying alterations of both noncovalent and covalent bonds. Finally, the radiochromatogram of 125I-iodothyronines recovered after Tg pronase digestion revealed a significant increase in the mono- (MIT) and diiodothyronine (DIT) fractions in contrast with a significant decrease in the T3 and T4 hormonal compounds. These findings are consistent with the view that vitamin A-depletion impairs the endogenous RPM synthesis and, therefore, the normal Tg 0-mannosylation. The growing peptide is characterized by steric hindrance, leading to abnormal closure of disulphide bonds, reduced MIT-DIT coupling reactions and depressed generation of physiologically active thyroid hormones. pure iodine deficit (I-) induces no effects on the above-mentioned glycosylation reactions, but iodine shortage superimposed on preexisting vitamin A-deficit (A-I-) aggravates the Tg dysmaturation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The use of hybridoma antibodies to probe the antigenic determinants of thyroglobulin

Using monoclonal antibodies we have begun to define the epitopes of the murine thyroglobulin molecule that elicit autoimmune responses. Based on the principle of complementation, 18 monoclonal antibodies were classified into 8 groups, defined by their reactions with the same or neighboring determinants. Further distinctions between the monoclonals were drawn from comparisons of their cross-reactions with thyroglobulins of other species and their patterns in isoelectric focusing. One low molecular weight fragment of bovine thyroglobulin, which cross-reacts extensively with thyroglobulins of other species, has been isolated and partially characterized.

Polypeptide chains of 19-S thyroglobulin from several mammalian species and of porcine 27-S iodoprotein

Undegraded 19-S thyroglobulin was purified from hog, ox, man, dog, sheep and rat thyroid glands. Sodium dodecylsulfate/ polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the reduced proteins showed that all are formed of peptide chains of molecular weight about 330000. Carboxypeptidase A digestion of porcine 19-S thyroglobulin released consecutively two moles of leucine and then two moles of serine, thus offering strong evidence in favour of the idea that the protein is formed of two identical chains. The same C-terminal amino acids were detected in sheep, ox, dog and man thyroglobulins. No N-terminal amino acid was found by appropriate chemical and enzymatic techniques. Porcine 27-S iodoprotein was shown by carboxypeptidase A analysis to be formed of four single-stranded 330000-Mr subunits identical to those constituting the 19-S protein. Identity, both qualitatively and quantitatively, of the peptides obtained by CNBr cleavage of the two proteins as shown by sodium dodecylsulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis has confirmed this conclusion. Since 19-S and 27-S thyroid iodoproteins are formed of two and four probably identical chains, they must be termed 19-S and 27-S thyroglobulins or alternatively thyroglobulin dimer and tetramer, respectively.

Subunit structure of human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-MG) with respect to its interaction with trypsin

SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of a recently prepared alpha 2-macroglobulin solution showed only the polypeptide chains of 190,000 molecular weight. Reduction-alkylation of this preparation followed by gel-filtration on a Sephadex G-200 column in 5.2 M guanidine hydrochloride was unable to separate a fraction of 83,000 molecular weight as previously described. Nevertheless, after incubation of a mixture alpha 2-macroglobulin-trypsin during 45 minutes at 37 degrees C, approximately 60 per cent of the preparation were converted in a component with 83,000 molecular weight as detected in SDS polyacrylamide gel. That component was isolated on Sephadex G-200 in guanidine hydrochloride and corresponds to the subunit, fraction II. According to the results of the present work together with those of previous studies, it can be assumed that alpha 2-MG is a 780,000 molecular weight protein (19S) formed of two half-molecules of equal weight (11-12S). The half-molecule contains two polypeptide chains of 180,000-190,000 molecular weight, each of them having, in its middle, a specific region particularly susceptible to attack by proteases.

The presence of N-terminal pyroglutamyl residues in hog thyroglobulin

A method was devised to isolate N-terminal peptide fragments from the polypeptide chains constituting thyroglobulin even in the case when the terminal amino groups are naturally blocked, for instance, acylated. Reduced and carboxymethylated hog thyroglobulin was first acetylated and digested with thermolysin. The blocked N-terminal peptide fragments were separated from the unblocked N-terminal fragments by column chromatography on Dowex 50, then on Dowex 1 after dinitrophenylation, and finally fractionated into ten fractions by paper chromatography after gel filtration on Sephadex G-10. Structural analyses by enzymic or partial acid hydrolysis of these peptide fractions failed to detect N-terminal acetyl amino acid. Instead, pyroglutamyl peptides including pyroglutamylleucine were found. By the same method, acetylated lysine and glycine were identified for chicken lysozyme and horse myoglobin, respectively. The use of thermolysin because of its unique specificity, and the possible relevance of the present result to the previous data on the N-terminal analysis of thyroglobulin are discussed.

Number and types of peptide chains in thyroglobulin: tryptic peptides of noniodinated hog thyroglobulin

In order to identify the number and types of peptide chains in thyroglobulin, noniodinated 19-S thyroglobulin obtained from goitrogen-treated hogs was exhaustively digested with trypsin (EC 3.4.4.4) after reduction and S-carboxymethylation. The digestion mixture was preliminarily separated into 30 fractions on Sephadex G-100 or G-15 and SE-Sephadex columns. The number of various tryptic peptides contained in each fraction was determined on peptide maps, where spots were detected with ninhydrin for total peptides and with each specific reagent for arginine, histidine or tyrosine-containing peptides. The number of total peptides observed in most of the fractions was estimated to be half the number of lysine plus arginine residues found in each fraction per mole of thyroglobulin, and the number of specific peptides was also close to half the number of each specific amino acid. These findings imply that thyroglobulin has 2-fold symmetry in the structure at the level of tryptic fragments and thus probably at the level of intact peptide chains.