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G Kapadia

Publications and source records attributed to G Kapadia.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Investigation of the catalytic site within the ATP-grasp domain of Clostridium symbiosum pyruvate phosphate dikinase.

Pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) catalyzes the interconversion of ATP, P(i), and pyruvate with AMP, PP(i), and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in three partial reactions as follows: 1) E-His + ATP --> E-His-PP.AMP; 2) E-His-PP.AMP + P(i) --> E-His-P.AMP.PP(i); and 3) E-His-P + pyruvate --> E.PEP using His-455 as the carrier of the transferred phosphoryl groups. The crystal structure of the Clostridium symbiosum PPDK (in the unbound state) reveals a three-domain structure consisting of consecutive N-terminal, central His-455, and C-terminal domains. The N-terminal and central His-455 domains catalyze partial reactions 1 and 2, whereas the C-terminal and central His-455 domains catalyze partial reaction 3. Attempts to obtain a crystal structure of the enzyme with substrate ligands bound at the nucleotide binding domain have been unsuccessful. The object of the present study is to demonstrate Mg(II) activation of catalysis at the ATP/P(i) active site, to identify the residues at the ATP/P(i) active site that contribute to catalysis, and to identify roles for these residues based on their positions within the active site scaffold. First, Mg(II) activation studies of catalysis of E + ATP + P(i) --> E-P + AMP + PP(i) partial reaction were carried out using a truncation mutant (Tem533) in which the C-terminal domain is absent. The kinetics show that a minimum of 2 Mg(II) per active site is required for the reaction. The active site residues used for substrate/cofactor binding/activation were identified by site-directed mutagenesis. Lys-22, Arg-92, Asp-321, Glu-323, and Gln-335 mutants were found to be inactive; Arg-337, Glu-279, Asp-280, and Arg-135 mutants were partially active; and Thr-253 and Gln-240 mutants were almost fully active. The participation of the nucleotide ribose 2'-OH and alpha-P in enzyme binding is indicated by the loss of productive binding seen with substrate analogs modified at these positions. The ATP, P(i), and Mg(II) ions were docked into the PPDK N-terminal domain crevice, in an orientation consistent with substrate/cofactor binding modes observed for other members of the ATP-Grasp fold enzyme superfamily and consistent with the structure-function data. On the basis of this docking model, the ATP polyphosphate moiety is oriented/activated for pyrophosphoryl transfer through interaction with Lys-22 (gamma-P), Arg-92 (alpha-P), and the Gly-101 to Met-103 loop (gamma-P) as well as with the Mg(II) cofactors. The P(i) is oriented/activated for partial reaction 2 through interaction with Arg-337 and a Mg(II) cofactor. The Mg(II) ions are bound through interaction with Asp-321, Glu-323, and Gln-335 and substrate. Residues Glu-279, Asp-280, and Arg-135 are suggested to function in the closure of an active site loop, over the nucleotide ribose-binding site.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Location of the phosphate binding site within Clostridium symbiosum pyruvate phosphate dikinase.

Pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) catalyzes the interconversion of ATP, Pi, and pyruvate with AMP, PPi, and PEP in three partial reactions: (1) E + ATP --> E.ATP --> E-PP.AMP, (2) E-PP.AMP + Pi --> E-PP.AMP.Pi --> E-P.AMP.PPi, and (3) E-P + pyruvate --> E-P.pyruvate --> E.PEP. The Clostridium symbiosum PPDK structure consists of N-terminal, central, and C-terminal domains. The N-terminal and central domains catalyze partial reactions 1 and 2 whereas the C-terminal and central domains catalyze partial reaction 3. The goal of the present work is to determine where on the N-terminal domain catalysis of partial reactions 1 and 2 occurs and, in particular, where the Pi binding site is located. Computer modeling studies implicated Arg337 as a key residue for Pi binding. This role was tested by site-directed mutagenesis. The R337A PPDK was shown to be impaired in catalysis of the forward (kcat 300-fold lower) and reverse (kcat 30-fold lower) full reactions. Time courses for the single turnover reactions were measured to show that catalysis of partial reaction 1 is 5-fold slower in the mutant, catalysis of the second partial reaction is 140-fold slower in the mutant, and catalysis of the third partial reaction is unaffected. With the exception of the mutation site, the crystal structure of the R337A PPDK closely resembles the structure of the wild-type protein. Thus, the altered kinetic properties observed for this mutant are attributed solely to the elimination of the interaction between substrate and the guanidinium group of the Arg337 side chain. On the basis of these findings we propose that the Pi binding site is located within the crevice of the PPDK N-terminal domain, at a site that is flanked by the ATP beta-P and the Mg2+ cofactor.

Alanine↗

A promiscuous binding surface: crystal structure of the IIA domain of the glucose-specific permease from Mycoplasma capricolum.

BACKGROUND: The phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) is a bacterial and mycoplasma system responsible for the uptake of some sugars, concomitant with their phosphorylation. The sugar-specific component of the system, enzyme II (EII),consists of three domains, EIIA, EIIB and EIIC. EIIA and ELLB are cytoplasmic and EIIC is an integral membrane protein that contains the sugar-binding site. Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) provides the source of the phosphoryl group, which is transferred via several phosphoprotein intermediates, eventually being transferred to the internalized sugar. Along the pathway, EIIA accepts a phosphoryl group from the phosphocarrier protein HPr and transfers it to EIIB. The structure of the glucose-specific EIIA (EIIAglc) from Mycoplasma capricolum reported here facilitates understanding of the nature of the interactions between this protein and its partners. RESULTS: The crystal structure of EIIAglc from M. capricolum has been determined at 2.5 A resolution. two neighboring EIIAglc molecules associate with one another in a front-to-back fashion, such that Glu149 of one molecule forms electrostatic interactions with the active-site histidine residues, His90 and His75, of the other. Glu149 is therefore considered to mimic the interaction that a phosphorylated histidine of a partner protein makes with EIIA. Another interaction, an ion pair between the active-site Asp94 and Lys168 of a neighboring molecule, may be analogous to the interaction between Asp94 of EIIAglc and Arg17 of HPr. Analysis of molecular packing in this crystal, and in the crystals of two other homologous proteins from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, reveals that in all cases active-site hydrophobic residues are involved in crystal contacts, but in each case a different region of the neighboring molecule is involved. The transition-state complexes of M. capricolum EIIAglc with HPr and EIIBglc have been modeled; in each case, different structural units are shown to interact with EIIAglc. Many of the interactions are hydrophobic with no sequence specificity. The only specific interaction, other than that formed by the phosphoryl group, involves ion pairs between two invariant aspartate residues of EIIAglc and arginine/lysine residues of HPr or EIIBglc. CONCLUSIONS: The non-discriminating nature of the hydrophobic interactions that EIIAglc forms with a variety of partners may be a consequence of the requirement for interaction with a variety of proteins that show no sequence or structural similarity. Nevertheless, specificity is provided by an ion-pair interaction that is enhanced by the apolar nature of the interface.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Role of the omega-loop in the activity, substrate specificity, and structure of class A beta-lactamase.

The structure of class A beta-lactamases contains an omega-loop associated with the active site, which carries a key catalytic residue, Glu166. A 16-residue omega-loop deletion mutant of beta-lactamase from Staphylococcus aureus PC1, encompassing residues 163-178, was produced in order to examine the functional and structural role of the loop. The crystal structure was determined and refined at 2.3 A, and the kinetics of the mutant enzyme was characterized with a variety of beta-lactam antibiotics. In general, the wild-type beta-lactamase hydrolyzes penicillin compounds better than cephalosporins. In contrast, the deletion of the omega-loop led to a variant enzyme that acts only on cephalosporins, including third generation compounds. Kinetic measurements and electrospray mass spectrometry revealed that the first and third generation cephalosporins form stable acyl-enzyme complexes, except for the chromogenic cephalosporin, nitrocefin, which after acylating the enzyme undergoes hydrolysis at a 1000-fold slower rate than that with wild-type beta-lactamase. Hydrolysis of the acyl-enzyme adducts is prevented because the deletion of the omega-loop eliminates the deacylation apparatus comprising Glu166 and its associated nucleophilic water site. The crystal structure reveals that while the overall fold of the mutant enzyme is similar to that of the native beta-lactamase, local adjustments in the vicinity of the missing loop occurred. The altered beta-lactam specificity is attributed to these structural changes. In the native structure, the omega-loop restricts the conformation of a beta-strand at the edge of the active site depression. Removal of the loop provides the beta-strand with a new degree of conformational flexibility, such that it is displaced inward toward the active site space. Modeled Michaelis complexes with benzylpenicillin and cephaloridine show that the perturbed conformation of the beta-strand is inconsistent with penicillin binding because of steric clashes between the beta-lactam side chain substituent and the beta-strand. In contrast, no clashes occur upon cephalosporin binding. Recognition of third generation cephalosporins is possible because the bulky side chain substituents of the beta-lactam ring typical of these compounds can be accommodated in the space freed by the deletion of the omega-loop.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural features of halophilicity derived from the crystal structure of dihydrofolate reductase from the Dead Sea halophilic archaeon, Haloferax volcanii.

BACKGROUND: The proteins of halophilic archaea require high salt concentrations both for stability and for activity, whereas they denature at low ionic strength. The structural basis for this phenomenon is not yet well understood. The crystal structure of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from Haloferax volcanii (hv-DHFR) reported here provides the third example of a structure of a protein from a halophilic organism. The enzyme is considered moderately halophilic, as it retains activity and secondary structure at monovalent salt concentrations as low as 0.5 M. RESULTS: The crystal structure of hv-DHFR has been determined at 2.6 A resolution and reveals the same overall fold as that of other DHFRs. The structure is in the apo state, with an open conformation of the active-site gully different from the open conformation seen in other DHFR structures. The unique feature of hv-DHFR is a shift of the alpha helix encompassing residues 46-51 and an accompanied altered conformation of the ensuing loop relative to other DHFRs. Analysis of the charge distribution, amino acid composition, packing and hydrogen-bonding pattern in hv-DHFR and its non-halophilic homologs has been performed. CONCLUSIONS: The moderately halophilic behavior of hv-DHFR is consistent with the lack of striking structural features expected to occur in extremely halophilic proteins. The most notable feature of halophilicity is the presence of clusters of non-interacting negatively charged residues. Such clusters are associated with unfavorable electrostatic energy at low salt concentrations, and may account for the instability of hv-DHFR at salt concentrations lower than 0.5 M. With respect to catalysis, the open conformation seen here is indicative of a conformational transition not reported previously. The impact of this conformation on function and/or halophilicity is unknown.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Elimination of the hydrolytic water molecule in a class A beta-lactamase mutant: crystal structure and kinetics.

Two site-directed mutant enzymes of the class A beta-lactamase from Staphylococcus aureus PC1 were produced with the goal of blocking the site that in the native enzyme is occupied by the proposed hydrolytic water molecule. The crystal structures of these two mutant enzymes, N170Q and N170M, have been determined and refined at 2.2 and 2.0 A, respectively. They reveal that the side chain of Gln 170 displaces the water molecule, whereas that of Met170 does not. In both cases, the catalytic rates with benzylpenicillin are reduced by 10(4) compared with the native enzyme. With nitrocefin, the N170Q mutant enzyme exhibits an approximately 800-fold reduced rate compared with the native enzyme and in addition, a fast initial burst with stoichiometry of 1 mol of degraded nitrocefin/mol of enzyme. Stopped-flow kinetic experiments establish that the rate constant of the burst is 250 s-1, a value comparable with the rate of acylation of the native enzyme. Two structurally based mechanisms that explain the kinetic properties of the N170Q beta-lactamase are proposed, both invoking a deacylation-impaired enzyme due to the elimination of the hydrolytic water molecule. The catalytic rate of the N170M mutant enzyme with nitrocefin is reduced by approximately 50-fold compared with the native enzyme, and the slow progressive inhibition that is revealed indicates that the hydrolysis proceeds via a branched pathway mechanism. This is consistent with the structural data that show that the water site is preserved and that Met170 occupies part of the space that is required for substrate binding. The short contacts between the substrate and the enzyme may lead to structure perturbation and inactivation.

Base Sequence↗

Structure and kinetics of the beta-lactamase mutants S70A and K73H from Staphylococcus aureus PC1.

Two mutant beta-lactamases from Staphylococcus aureus PC1 which probe key catalytic residues have been produced by site-directed mutagenesis. In the S70A enzyme, the nucleophilic group that attacks the beta-lactam carbonyl carbon atom was eliminated. Consequently, the kcat values for hydrolysis of benzylpenicillin and nitrocefin have been reduced by 10(4)-10(5) compared with the wild-type enzyme. The crystal structure of S70A beta-lactamase has been determined at 2.1 A resolution. With the exception of the mutation site, the structure is identical to that of the native enzyme. The residual activity is attributed either to mistranslation that leads to production of wild-type enzyme and/or to remaining features of the active site that stabilize the tetrahedral transition state. Soaking of the crystals with ampicillin or clavulanate, followed by flash-freezing, has been carried out and the structures examined at 2.0 A resolution. For both experiments, the difference electron density maps revealed buildup of density in the active site that presumably corresponds to beta-lactam binding. However, neither electron density is sufficiently clear for defining the atomic details of the bound compounds. The K73H beta-lactamase has been prepared to test the possible role of Lys73 in proton transfer. It exhibits no detectable activity toward benzylpenicillin, and 10(5)-fold reduction of kcat for nitrocefin hydrolysis compared with the wild-type enzyme. No significant recovery of activity has been measured when the pH was varied between 5.0 and 8.0. The crystal structure of K73H beta-lactamase has been determined at 1.9 A resolution. While the overall structure is similar to that of the native enzyme, the electrostatic interactions between His73 and neighboring residues indicate that the imidazole ring is positively charged. In addition, the hydroxyl group of Ser70 adopts a position that is incompatible with nucleophilic attack on substrates. A crystal soaked with ampicillin was flash-frozen, and diffraction data were collected at 2.1 A resolution. The electron density map showed no indication of substrate binding.

Binding Sites↗

Swiveling-domain mechanism for enzymatic phosphotransfer between remote reaction sites.

The crystal structure of pyruvate phosphate dikinase, a histidyl multiphosphotransfer enzyme that synthesizes adenosine triphosphate, reveals a three-domain molecule in which the phosphohistidine domain is flanked by the nucleotide and the phosphoenolpyruvate/pyruvate domains, with the two substrate binding sites approximately 45 angstroms apart. The modes of substrate binding have been deduced by analogy to D-Ala-D-Ala ligase and to pyruvate kinase. Coupling between the two remote active sites is facilitated by two conformational states of the phosphohistidine domain. While the crystal structure represents the state of interaction with the nucleotide, the second state is achieved by swiveling around two flexible peptide linkers. This dramatic conformational transition brings the phosphocarrier residue in close proximity to phosphoenolpyruvate/pyruvate. The swiveling-domain paradigm provides an effective mechanism for communication in complex multidomain/multiactive site proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural evidence for the evolutionary divergence of mycoplasma from gram-positive bacteria: the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein.

BACKGROUND: The three-dimensional structures of histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr), a member of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS), have been determined from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The structure of HPr reported here for Mycoplasma capricolum is the first protein structure to be determined for this class of organism. Comparative structural studies with the bacterial proteins highlight sequence-structure correlations relevant to proposals about the evolutionary origin of mycoplasmas. RESULTS: The crystal structure of HPr from M. capricolum has been determined and refined at 1.8 A resolution, revealing the same overall fold as that of other HPrs of known structure. However, mycoplasma HPr resembles HPrs from Gram-positive bacteria more closely than those from Gram-negative bacteria. As in HPrs from Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, the phosphoryl group carrier (His15) forms the N-terminal cap of a helix, but in contrast to the other crystal structures, the side chain of the adjacent Arg17 is conformationally disordered. A sulfate ion interacts with Ser46, a residue known to be phosphorylated in a regulatory manner. CONCLUSIONS: The greater degree of structural similarity of the M. capricolum HPr to HPrs from Gram-positive rather than Gram-negative bacteria is consistent with the proposal that mycoplasma evolved from Gram-positive bacteria. The proposal that no major conformational transition is required for phosphorylation of the active-site histidine is reinforced by comparing the crystal structures with and without an anion in the active site. The conformational disorder of the Arg17 side chain suggests that its guanidinium group does not have to form specific interactions with other protein groups before phosphorylation at His15. The association of a sulfate ion with Ser46 serves as a model for HPr(Ser46-P). As there is no evidence of a conformational change accompanying Ser46 phosphorylation, the inhibitory effect of this event may be attributable to altered surface electrostatics.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure of S-lectin, a developmentally regulated vertebrate beta-galactoside-binding protein.

The crystal structure of a 14-kDa bovine spleen S-lectin complexed with the disaccharide N-acetyllactosamine at 1.9-A resolution reveals a surprising structural relationship to legume lectins, despite the lack of sequence homology. Two monomers associate to form an extended beta-sandwich, each with the same jelly roll topology typical of legume lectins but with dramatically trimmed loops and with different dimer association. Each monomer binds one N-acetyllactosamine molecule in a topologically and spatially different site than that of legume lectins. The carbohydrate-binding site provides an unprecedented paradigm for carbohydrate binding, with a unique network of salt bridges. The specificity for beta-galactose arises from intricate interactions that constrain the position of the O4 atom.

Amino Sugars↗

Structure of the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein HPr from Bacillus subtilis at 2.0-A resolution.

The crystal structure of the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) from Bacillus subtilis has been determined at 2.0-A resolution and refined to a crystallographic residual error R-factor of 0.150. The secondary-structure folding topology of the molecule is that of an open-face beta-sandwich formed by four antiparallel beta-strands packed against three alpha-helices. The active-site histidine, His-15, caps the N terminus of the first helix, suggesting that the helix dipole plays a role in stabilizing the phosphorylated state of the histidine. A sulfate anion located between His-15 and the neighboring Arg-17 has been identified in the electron-density map. Association of this negatively charged species with the two key catalytic residues implies that the crystal structure resembles the phosphorylated state of the protein. A model of the phosphorylated form of the molecule is proposed, in which the negatively charged phosphoryl group interacts with two main-chain nitrogen atoms of the following helix and with the guanidinium group of Arg-17. It is also proposed that the phosphoryl transfer from HPr to the IIA domain of the glucose permease involves Arg-17 switching between two salt bridges: one with the phosphorylated histidyl of HPr and the other with two aspartyl residues associated with the active site of the IIA domain of glucose permease, which are accessible upon complex formation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystallization of the IIA domain of the glucose permease of Bacillus subtilis.

The IIA domain of the glucose permease of the phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) from Bacillus subtilis has been crystallized. Crystals are obtained from ammonium sulfate solution. They diffract to at least 2.2 A resolution, and belong to space group C222(1), with unit cell dimensions: a = 74.2 A; b = 54.9 A; c = 67.0 A.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Structure of the IIA domain of the glucose permease of Bacillus subtilis at 2.2-A resolution.

The crystal structure of the IIA domain of the glucose permease of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) from Bacillus subtilis has been determined at 2.2-A resolution. Refinement of the structure is in progress, and the current R-factor is 0.201 (R = sigma h parallel Fo magnitude of - Fc parallel/sigma h magnitude of Fo, where magnitude of Fo and magnitude of Fc are the observed and calculated structure factor amplitudes, respectively) for data between 6.0- and 2.2-A resolution for which F greater than or equal to 2 sigma (F). This is an antiparallel beta-barrel structure that incorporates "Greek key" and "jellyroll" topological motifs. A shallow depression is formed at the active site by part of the beta-sheet and an omega-loop flanking one side of the sheet. His83, the histidyl residue which is the phosphorylation target of HPr and which transfers the phosphoryl group to the IIB domain of the permease, is located at the C-terminus of a beta-strand. The N epsilon atom is partially solvated and also interacts with the N epsilon atom of a second histidyl residue, His68, located at the N-terminus of an adjacent beta-strand, suggesting they share a proton. The geometry of the hydrogen bond is imperfect, though. Electrostatic interactions with other polar groups and van der Waals contacts with the side chains of two flanking phenylalanine residues assure the precise orientation of the imidazole rings. The hydrophobic nature of the surface around the His83-His68 pair may be required for protein-protein recognition by HPr or/and by the IIB domain of the permease. The side chains of two aspartyl residues, Asp31 and Asp87, are oriented toward each other across a narrow groove, about 7 A from the active-site His83, suggesting they may play a role in protein-protein interaction. A model of the phosphorylated form of the molecule is proposed, in which oxygen atoms of the phosphoryl group interact with the side chain of His68 and with the main-chain nitrogen atom of a neighboring residue, Val89. The model, in conjunction with previously reported site-directed mutagenesis experiments, suggests that the phosphorylation of His83 may be accompanied by the protonation of His68. This may be important for the interaction with the IIB domain of the permease and/or play a catalytic role in the phosphoryl transfer from IIA to IIB.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural basis for the inactivation of the P54 mutant of beta-lactamase from Staphylococcus aureus PC1.

The crystal structure of a mutant protein of a class A beta-lactamase from Staphylococcus aureus PC1, in which Asp179 is replaced by an asparagine (P54), has been determined and refined at 2.3-A resolution (1 A = 0.1 nm). The resulting crystallographic R factor [formula: see text] are the observed and calculated structure factor amplitudes) is 0.181 for 12289 reflections with I greater than or equal to sigma (I) within the 6.0-2.3-A resolution range. The mutated residue is located at the C-terminus of an extensive loop (the omega-loop), remote from the active site, and results in a drastically reduced activity. Examination of the native and P54 structures reveals that the overall fold is similar, except that there is substantial disorder of the omega-loop of P54. This is a consequence of the elimination of a salt bridge between Asp179 and Arg164 that links the two ends of the omega-loop in native beta-lactamase. It is associated with a difference in side-chain conformation between Asn179 in P54 and Asp179 in the native structure. An alternate interaction occurs in P54 between Asn179 and Ala69, adjacent to the catalytic Ser70. This disorder affects catalysis since some of the disordered residues, in particular Glu166, form part of the active site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ammonium Sulfate↗

Crystallization of the Bacillus subtilis histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein HPr and of some of its site-directed mutants.

The histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) from Bacillus subtilis has been crystallized. Two of the site-directed mutants aimed at probing function produce crystals suitable for X-ray studies. The mutant in which His15 is substituted by an alanyl residue crystallizes from ammonium sulfate solution in space group P3(1)21 or P3(2)21, with unit cell dimensions: a = b = 47.3 A; c = 61.5 A. These crystals diffract to at least 1.8 A resolution. The mutant in which Ser46 is substituted by an aspartyl residue crystallizes from polyethylene glycol 4000 solution in space group P2(1), with unit cell dimensions: a = 49.4 A; b = 25.6 A; c = 60.3 A; beta = 109 degrees. These crystals diffract to at least 2.0 A resolution.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Gel electrophoretic procedures potentially applicable to the isolation of human growth hormone from a transformed bacterial source at the gram-preparative scale.

A crude bacterial extract containing approximately 4 mg/ml protein, 25% of which was human growth hormone (hGH), was subjected to two alternative gel electrophoretic isolation procedures, designated I and II. Procedure I exploits the high electrophoretic net mobility (RM larger than 0.127) at pH 7.6, 0 degrees C, of the bacterial contaminants relative to hGH. This allows one to stack the contaminants at a protein load of 31.5 mg/cm2 of gel, using a "non-restrictive" gel concentration. Unstacked hGH is collected from the gel section between 0.3 and 0.6 of relative gel length and extracted electrophoretically as described previously. Alternatively, the unstacked hGH was concentrated on the gel by dispatching a second moving boundary behind the original stack ("re-stacking") and a gel section (relative gel length 0.45 to 0.6) between the two moving boundaries was excised and subjected to electrophoretic extraction. The yield of hGH ranged from 70 to 82%, and its purity (weight/Lowry) ranged from 86 to 115%. Procedure II exploits the high electrophoretic net mobility (RM larger than 0.064) at pH 10.5, 0 degrees C, of hGH relative to its bacterial contaminants at a gel concentration of 9 %T, 2 %CBis, at a protein load of 2.5 mg/cm2 of gel. The selectively stacked hGH is collected by preparative elution-PAGE, using an apparatus with 17.6 cm2 gel surface area. The yield of hGH was 90% and its purity ranged from 84-92%.

Cloning, Molecular↗

ONe-step isolation of human chopionic ganadotropin in milligram amounts, using selective steady-state stacking on polyacrylamide gel.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has been isolated in a single step from a crude, commercially available urinary preparation. The isolated hormone, and highly purified standard hormone preparations, each exhibit on PAGE (pH 5.5), as on electrofocusing, 3 to 5 major "change isomeric" species within preparations. In addition, PAGE (pH 5.5) detects differences in molecular size between charge isomeric species of identical net charge occurring in the various preparations. For the purposes of isolation by Steady-State Stacking, each of these charge isomeric families of hCG components was collectively separated from faster migrating proteins in crude, commercial hCG by first allowing them to unstack while the more highly mobile contaminating proteins in the preparation remained stacked and were eluted as a stack from an elution-PAGE apparatus. After some time of electrophoresis the unstacked hCG components were then combined ("restacked") by sweeping them into a second moving boundary and eluted from a preparative elution-PAGE apparatus in a single zone. The product exhibits on PAGE re-run molecular species related to hCG standard as either "size-" or "charge-isomers". After dissociation into subunits, all preparations yield a protein indistinguishable in size or net charge from a standard preparation of the beta-chain of hCG. The alpha- and beta-chains derived from the isolated preparations exhibited dose-response curves parallel to those of standard hCG alpha and hCG beta respectively. The biological activity of the product was 8-12.000 IU/mg, as compared to 3,000 IU/mg for the starting material. The total yield was 20% by dry weight of the crude starting material.

Buffers↗