Bovine liver thiol-protein disulphide oxidoreductases. An alternative method for differential purification and resolution of protein disulphide-isomerase and glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase

Nonspecific reaction of a thiol: protein disulfide oxidoreductase with the disulfide bonds of insulin

A thiol: protein disulfide oxidoreductase from bovine liver was isolated after separation from protein disulfide isomerase. The enzyme, after activation (reduction) with glutathione, was reacted with stoichiometric amounts of insulin and the sulfhydryl groups of the partially reduced hormone were labeled with iodo (l-14C)acetamide. After separation of the insulin chains, the radioactivity was found in both the peptides, with a ratio A-chain/B-chain equal to 2/1.

Kinetics and specificity of homogeneous protein disulphide-isomerase in protein disulphide isomerization and in thiol-protein-disulphide oxidoreduction

The protein disulphide-bond isomerization activity of highly active homogeneous protein disulphide-isomerase (measured by re-activation of 'scrambled' ribonuclease) is enhanced by EDTA and by phosphate buffers. As shown for previous less-active preparations, the enzyme has a narrow pH optimum around pH 7.8 and requires the presence of either a dithiol or a thiol. The dithiol dithiothreitol is effective at concentrations 100-fold lower than the monothiols reduced glutathione and cysteamine. The enzyme follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to these substrates; Km values are 4,620 and 380 microM respectively. The enzyme shows apparent inhibition by high concentrations of thiol or dithiol compounds (greater than 10 X Km), but the effect is mainly on the extent of reaction, not the initial rate. This is interpreted as indicating the formation of significant amounts of reduced ribonuclease in these more reducing conditions. The purified enzyme will also catalyse net reduction of insulin disulphide bonds by reduced glutathione (i.e. it has thiol:protein-disulphide oxidoreductase or glutathione:insulin transhydrogenase activity), but this requires considerably higher concentrations of enzyme and reduced glutathione than does the disulphide-isomerization activity. The Km for reduced glutathione in this reaction is an order of magnitude greater than that for the disulphide-isomerization activity, and the turnover number is considerably lower than that of other enzymes that can catalyse thiol-disulphide oxidoreduction. Conventional two-substrate steady-state analysis of the thiol:protein-disulphide oxidoreductase activity indicates that it follows a ternary-complex mechanism. The protein disulphide-isomerase and thiol:protein-disulphide oxidoreductase activities co-purify quantitatively through the final stages of purification, implying that a single protein species is responsible for both activities. It is concluded that previous preparations, from various sources, that have been referred to as protein disulphide-isomerase, disulphide-interchange enzyme, thiol:protein-disulphide oxidoreductase or glutathione:insulin transhydrogenase are identical or homologous proteins. The assay, nomenclature and physiological role of this enzyme are discussed.

A rapid and sensitive assay for protein disulphide isomerase activity

An assay procedure for the determination of protein disulphide isomerase activity is presented. The method is based on the reactivation of randomly cross-linked RNAase, the extent of RNAase reactivation being determined from the degradation of radioactively labelled RNA. The method is rapid and sensitive and allows one to test a large number of samples simultaneously.

Covalent chromatography as a means of isolating thiol peptides from large proteins: application to human ceruloplasmin

The use of activated thiopropyl-Sepharose for simple and rapid isolation of thiol peptides from large proteins was investigated using ceruloplasmin (a copper protein of molecular weight 134,000 containing three cysteines and six disulphides) as a test case. Optimal results for the immobilization of the protein to the activated gel were obtained at pH 4.0 in the presence of 8 M urea and 0.05 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. In these conditions 96% of the protein thiol groups were attached to the adsorbent. The immobilized protein was digested with either pepsin or trypsin. The liberated non-thiol peptides were eluted from the gel together with the protease after the digestion. After washing, the covalently attached thiol peptides were eluted in reducing buffer, desalted on the hydrophobic gel Sephadex LH-20 and carboxymethylated. The peptides were purified in a two-step procedure involving gel filtration on Sephadex G-25 and either column electrophoresis or ion-exchange chromatography. The two sets of peptides were derived from four different regions in the protein. They were 12-39 residues in length and together accounted for 152 residues. It is shown that the peptide chain was susceptible to proteolytic attack also close to the point of attachment (two residues away). One peptide with two thiol groups proved to be derived from an area containing one disulphide bridge in addition to cysteine. This bridge could be identified in a separate experiment where a second enzyme was used to release the disulphide peptide after the first digestion and washings.

Resolution of thiol-containing proteins by sequential-elution covalent chromatography

Elution of complex protein mixtures on a matrix containing reactive disulphide bonds (Thiopropyl-Sepharose 6B, Pharmacia) results in immobilisation of thiol-containing molecules. Specific protein fractions can be displaced from the gel using different low-molecular-weight reducing agents. Thus a single sequential elution can separate and resolve thiol-containing proteins in a rapid and convenient step. The method is illustrated with reference to beef liver thiol : disulphide oxidoreductases.

Resolution of protein disulphide-isomerase and glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase activities by covalent chromatography

1. Protein disulphide-isomerase (EC 5.3.4.1) and glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase (EC 1.8.4.2) were resolved by covalent chromatography. Both activities, in a partially purified preparation from bovine liver, bind covalently as mixed disulphides to activated thiopropyl-Sepharose 6B, in a new stepwise elution procedure protein disulphide-isomerase is displaced in mildly reducing conditions whereas glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase is only displaced by more extreme reducing conditions. 2. This together with evidence for partial resolution of the two activities by ion-exchange chromatography, conclusively establishes that the two activities are not alternative activities of a single bovine liver enzyme. 3. Protein disulphide-isomerase, partially purified by a published procedure, has now been further purified by covalent chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The final material is 560-fold purified relative to a bovine liver homogenate; it has barely detectable glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase activity. 4. The purified protein disulphide-isomerase shows a single major band on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis corresponding to a mol.wt. of 57000. 5. The purified protein disulphide-isomerase has Km values for 'scrambled' ribonuclease and dithiothreitol of 23 microgram/ml and 5.4 microM respectively and has a sharp pH optimum at 7.5. The enzyme has a broad thiol-specificity, and several monothiols, at 1mM, can replace dithiothreitol. 6. The purified protein disulphide-isomerase is completely inactivated after incubation with a 2-3 fold molar excess of iodoacetate. The enzyme is also significantly inhibited by low concentrations of Cd2+ ions. These findings strongly suggest the existence of a vicinal dithiol group essential for enzyme activity. 7. When a range of thiols were used as co-substrates for protein disulphide-isomerase activity, the activities were found to co-purify quantitatively, implying the presence of a single protein disulphide-isomerase of broad thiol-specificity. Glutathione-disulphide transhydrogenase activities, assayed with a range of disulphide compounds, did not co-purify quantitatively.