Direct enzyme titration curve of NADH: cytochrome b5 reductase by combined isoelectric focusing/electrophoresis. Interactions between enzyme and cytochrome b5

Determining the identity and structure of recombinant proteins

In this unit peptide mapping protocols with separation of the constituent peptides by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and by high-resolution SDS-PAGE are presented. Peptide mapping is ideally suited for comparative purposes--for example, combined analysis of the recombinant protein and its natural counterpart (or some other well-characterized standard). This unit also outlines the general strategy used to determine the linkage pattern of a monomeric recombinant protein containing two intramolecular disulfide bonds. The approach is an extension of peptide mapping, where the aim is to isolate and characterize peptides containing only a single disulfide bond. A two-dimensional electrophoretic method is also described in which the protein isoelectric point is displayed as a function of pH to yield an electrophoretic titration curve. This method is especially useful for checking for deamidation (e.g., of Asn to Asp) in which additional negative charge is introduced into the modified protein.

Low-tech electrophoresis, small but beautiful, and effective: electrophoretic titration curves of proteins

Migration across a stationary pH gradient results in the electrophoretic titration of a protein's dissociable groups. From the resulting curves, some properties of the protein may be derived, including overall amino acid composition and type of mutation between polymorphic variants, as well as range of stability or, for enzymes, of catalytic activity. Analysis with this technique is a stringent purity criterion; other applications allow the study of interacting systems and the planning of chromatographic fractionations based on differences in surface charge.

Isoelectric focusing as a tool for the investigation of post-translational processing and chemical modifications of proteins

It has been demonstrated that good agreement may be observed between computed and experimental isoelectric point (pI) values when proteins of known sequence are focused under denaturing conditions on immobilized pH gradient IPG slabs, at least in the pH range 4-7.5. Hence, discrepancies between expected and found in this experimental set-up may be reliably ascribed to some kind of post-transcriptional processing, or chemical modification, having taken place in the sample. This evaluation is made easier when the comparison is set between the pI of a parent molecule and that (or those) of one to several of its derivatives as resolved in a single experiment (for instance, as a spot row in two-dimensional maps); no previous knowledge is required in these cases about the amino acid composition of the primary structure. The effects on protein surface charge are discussed in this review mainly for two biologically relevant processes, glycosylation and phosphorylation. Then, the pI shifts are analysed for some protein modifications that may occur naturally but can also be artefactually elicited, such as NH2 terminus blocking, deamidation and thiol redox reactions. Finally, carboxymethylation and carbamylation are used to exemplify chemical treatments often applied in connection with electrophoretic techniques and involving charged residues. Procedures to be applied in order to verify whether a given modification has occurred, and often relying on the focusing of a treated specimen, are detailed in each section. Numerical examples on model proteins are also discussed. As an important field of application of the above concepts may be genetic engineering, an exhaustive bibliographic list dealing with pI evaluation and structural assessment on recombinant proteins is included.

Characterization of weak alleles at the DIA1 locus (Mustapha 1, Mustapha 2, and Mustapha 3) in the Algerian population

One percent of the Algerian population carries a weak allele at the DIA1 locus, responsible for a 50% decrease of red cell soluble cytochrome b5 reductase activity. Quantitative abnormalities of the soluble and the membrane-bound enzyme have been investigated in the red cells and in the leukocytes of seven subjects considered to be heterozygous at the DIA1 locus. Conventional electrophoretic or isoelectrophoretic studies did not show any qualitative abnormality. However, continuous titration obtained by combined IEF-electrophoresis displayed in five out of seven subjects a discrete abnormal line on the titration curve compatible with an Arg leads to His substitution. In fact, at least three types of weak alleles could be defined by combining the qualitative and quantitative results obtained with the erythrocyte (soluble and membrane-bound) and leukocyte enzyme. We call these subgroups DIA Mustapha1, DIA Mustapha2, and DIA Mustapha3.

Quantitative variations of red-cell cytochrome b5 reductase (NADH-methemoglobin-reductase) in the Algerian population: evidence for defective alleles

A striking proportion of Algerian subjects was reported among patients with congenital recessive methemoglobinemia due to cytochrome b5 reductase deficiency (Kaplan et al. 1979). A population survey was carried out in red blood cells from 1000 Algerian subjects. In 16 subjects, the cytochrome b2 reductase activity was diminished by 50%. Family studies indicated the presence of a defective allele with an overall gene frequency of 0.008. Immunologically cross-reacting material was found in red cells with low cytochrome b5 reductase activity. Leukocytes exhibited normal levels of enzyme in some families and low levels in others suggesting that at least two different deficient alleles at the DIA1 locus were present in the Algerian population. A higher prevalence of the deficient allele(s) was found in subjects of Kabyle origin.