scholarly journals Sedimentation-equilibrium and other physicochemical studies on the lysine-rich fraction of calf thymus histones

1968 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Haydon ◽  
A. R. Peacocke

1. The lysine-rich fraction (Ia+Ib, or f1) of calf thymus histones was isolated as the sulphate by acid extraction. 2. Sedimentation-equilibrium measurements with interference optics showed that this fraction was monodisperse with a molecular weight of 19500±2000. 3. The ‘apparent molecular weight’ calculated from the sedimentation-equilibrium studies varied markedly with concentration. The large second virial coefficient implied by such variation was attributed to the very high charge/mass ratio of this relatively small protein. Estimates of the charge were made from the values of this virial coefficient. 4. The very large value of the virial coefficient explains anomalies in the earlier reports of the molecular weight of this histone and also why the z-average molecular weight can appear to be lower than the weight-average molecular weight. 5. The differences of the specific refractive increments, and the partial specific volumes, between dialysed and undialysed solutions of this histone fraction could also be attributed to its high molecular charge, which was estimated from these differences and agreed, within the expected limits, with the value deduced from the second virial coefficient. 6. Sedimentation-velocity measurements combined with the known molecular weight imply that lysine-rich histone has a high frictional ratio and an extended shape. Optical-rotatory-dispersion measurements indicated that it had a low helical content.

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Blagrove ◽  
JM Gillespie ◽  
GG Lilley ◽  
EF Woods

Physicochemical studies are reported for conglutin �, the minor globulin isolated from seeds of L. angustifolius cv. Uniwhite. Isoelectric focusing of the native protein in polyacrylamide gel slabs resolved major and minor broad bands near pH 8.0 and 7.8 respectively. Following reduction of disulfide bonds with β-mercaptoethanol in 8 M urea, the smaller polypeptide chain of known sequence focused near pH 6.9 while the larger chain focused near pH 8.0. Sedimentation equilibrium studies showed that the major component in aqueous buffers at neutral pH is a hexamer of molecular weight 280 000 which dissociates to the monomer of molecular weight 47 000 at pH 4.8. The sequence molecular weight of the small subunit polypeptide is 16 517 [Elleman, T.C. (1977). Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 30, 33-45]. The molecular weights determined for the larger chain by sedimentation equilibrium or column chromatography in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride, and by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were in the range 28 000-30 000. Optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism measurements have been used to establish the approximate proportions of α-helix (15%), β-structure (35%), β-turns (18%) and unordered regions (32%) in the native protein. The denaturation curve for guanidine hydrochloride and the proportions of α-helix (50%), β-turns (18%) and unordered regions (32%) in 80 % trifluoroethanol have been determined.


1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 594-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Krebs ◽  
William A. Bridger

A physical study of succinyl-coenzyme A synthetase of Escherichia coli has been conducted. The extinction coefficient for the enzyme at 280 nm [Formula: see text] has been evaluated by two independent methods and found to be equal to 4.9 ± 0.2. Sedimentation equilibrium studies show that there is a marked dependence of the apparent molecular weight upon the concentration of the enzyme. At concentrations above 1 mg/ml, the enzyme exists predominantly as an α2β2 tetramer of overall molecular weight near 140 000; at lower concentrations, a significant fraction of the enzyme dissociates to an αβ dimer. The circular dichroism spectrum of the enzyme suggests a high proportion of random coil structure, with small contributions of α-helix and β-structure.


1976 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 481
Author(s):  
EF Woods

Fractionated samples of the soluble S-carboxymethyl proteins from kookaburra beak (Frenkel and Gillespie 1976) were examined by equilibrium sedimentation. The molecular weight was found to be 11 300 when the photoelectric scanning absorption optical system was employed and 13 700 when Rayleigh interference optics were used. Possible explanations for this difference are considered and it is concluded that it must arise from heterogeneity of the protein. Optical rotatory dispersion measurements indicate that the proteins probably exist as random coils in dilute aqueous buffer.


1969 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 639-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Villet ◽  
K. Dalziel

A method is described for the isolation of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from sheep liver. The product appears to be homogeneous in polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and in sedimentation-velocity and sedimentation-equilibrium studies in the ultracentrifuge. The molecular weight is estimated as 129000 from equilibrium sedimentation.


2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 503-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Beck-Candanedo ◽  
David Viet ◽  
Derek G Gray

The partitioning behaviour of dye-labeled dextrans of high molecular weight in aqueous suspensions of native cellulose nanocrystals was studied. Cellulose concentrations lie in the isotropic–nematic coexistence region. Blue dextrans of various molecular weights and degrees of substitution of dye molecules (anionic Cibacron blue 3G-A) were investigated. Increasing the total concentration of blue dextran and degree of dye substitution led to increasing partition coefficients. Increasing dextran molecular weight resulted in higher partition coefficients, in agreement with theory. Partition coefficients were larger than predicted theoretically using a second virial coefficient approximation. Electrostatic and entropic contributions to the partition coefficient of blue dextran are discussed. Dextrans labeled with neutral fluorescein isothiocyanate did not partition preferentially in this system.Key words: partition coefficient, cellulose nanocrystals, dextrans, degree of substitution, polyelectrolyte.


1970 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. H. Lloyd ◽  
A. R. Peacocke

Solutions of crystalline β-lactamase I and β-lactamase II, prepared by Kuwabara (1970), were examined in the ultracentrifuge and their sedimentation coefficients, diffusion coefficients, molecular weights and heterogeneity determined. Each sample was shown to consist of a major component comprising at least 97% of the material and a minor component of much higher molecular weight. The molecular weights of the major components were 27800 for β-lactamase I and 35600 for β-lactamase II. Emphasis is placed on a straightforward practical way of analysing the sedimentation-equilibrium results on mixtures of two macromolecular components rather than on a strict theoretical solution. Appendices describe the theory of systems at both chemical and sedimentation equilibrium and the procedure for calculating the combined distribution of two components.


1972 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Cammack ◽  
D. I. Marlborough ◽  
D. S. Miller

1. l-Asparaginases from Erwinia carotovora and Escherichia coli (EC2 enzyme) are both capable of inhibiting and eliminating certain types of tumour cells. The Er. carotovora enzyme is a more basic protein, however, and in contrast with the EC2 enzyme it contains neither tryptophan nor cystine, and disulphide bonds are therefore absent. The molecule is very stable in solution from pH3.0 to about pH12.0, and is somewhat more stable at alkaline pH than is the Esch. coli enzyme. Calculations based on a s020,w 7.43S and a sedimentation-equilibrium molecular weight of 135000±10000 give a frictional ratio (f/f0) of 1.08. The molecular conformation is therefore very compact in solution, and the electron microscope shows the negatively stained molecules as almost spherical particles with a diameter of 7.2±0.7nm. 2. Sedimentation-velocity and equilibrium ultracentrifugation, in 5–8m solutions of urea and guanidinium chloride, and also electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel, reveal a dissociation of the native protein molecule into four subunits of similar molecular weight in the range 32500–38000. The enzymically inactive subunits can be physically reassembled into an active tetramer when urea is removed by dialysis. Although the subunit structures of the Er. carotovora enzyme and the Esch. coli enzyme molecules are similar, the secondary bonding forces holding the subunits together in the tetramer are somewhat stronger in the Er. carotovora enzyme. 3. The optical-rotatory-dispersion (o.r.d.) parameters that characterize the Cotton effects arising from ordered structure in the molecule are [m′]233=−3522±74° and [m′]200=9096±1700°. These show very marked changes as the secondary structure is disrupted and the molecule dissociates into subunits. A correlation pathway was traced on the basis of o.r.d. parameters and enzyme activity as the polypeptide chains were denatured and renatured (and reconstituted) into active molecules after the dilution of solutions in urea. Subunits resulting from treatment with sodium dodecyl sulphate do not show the typically disordered o.r.d. profile, but nevertheless they are inactive.


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