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K Malinowski

Publications and source records attributed to K Malinowski.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Interaction between the constituent A and B lens alpha-crystallin subunits leading to formation of alpha-neoprotein molecules.

A and B constituent subunits associated in lens alpha-crystallin were found to interact with added B chains forming alpha-neoprotein molecules with lower A to B chain ratios than 2 A to 1 B in alpha-crystallin. Addition of 1% excess of B chains to the one in alpha-crystallin, which resulted in a ratio of 1.98 A to 1 B in the mixture, caused a change of quaternary structure in 30% of alpha-crystallin molecules within 18 h. At a ratio of 1.86 A to 1 B, all alpha-crystallin molecules were affected at this time. A maximum number of 495 B chains was found to form an association with 1 A chain, initially bound in alpha-crystallin. Such a high number may indicate that the reaction involves monomeric A chains binding aggregated macromolecules of B chains. It is in such form that B chains occur as macromolecules with an average molecular weight of 0.7 X 10(6) in aqueous solution. The alpha-neoprotein molecules selected for studies in this report had A to B chain ratios of 1.75:1, 1:1, and 0.2:1. Each behaved in immunodiffusion tests like single molecular entities. Antigenic determinants located on A as well as on B chains associated with each other in alpha-crystallin were found to be identical with determinants on the chains associated in the above alpha-neoprotein molecules. Determinants dependent on the quaternary structure of alpha-neoprotein and of alpha-crystallin molecules were completely different. Some of the quaternary determinants of various alpha-neoproteins were type specific and did not occur in molecules with different A to B chain ratios. Other quaternary determinants occurred in all alpha-neoproteins. An excess of A chains did not revert alpha-neoproteins to alpha-crystallin. However, alpha-neoprotein molecules did interact with added B chains forming neomolecules with lower A to B chain ratios.

Animals↗

Molecular evolution and subunit structure of cattle lens alpha crystallin.

The present studies were based on the premise that any common determinants in homologous proteins must have originated with the common ancestor of all of the taxonomic groups in which that determinant occurs. Cross-reacting antigenic determinants of lens alpha crystallin various classes of modern vertebrates were used to trace their evolutionary relationships. For quantitation of evolutionarily distinct determinants, equimolar amounts of alpha crystallin or its subunits, in either monomeric or reaggregated form, were bound to a matrix, then saturated with 125I-labeled Fab fragments of anti-cattle alpha crystallin antibodies having phylogenetically restricted specificities. This quantitative procedure has the important advantage of independence from variation in antibody responses to different determinants of the same antigenic molecule. The procedure is not impaired by steric hindrance. Both the SH-containing and SH-free subunits of cattle lens alpha crystallin were found to contain common antigenic determinants with the cyclostomata alpha crystallin. Such determinants originatd in evolution with the first vertebrates, the primitive agnatha. Antigenic determinants transferred from ancestral aquatic and land vertebrates to the mammals were found to constitute 93% of all determinants reactive in the monomeric SH-free subunits of cattle alpha crystallin. These determinants constitute only 76.5% of all determinants which are reactive in the SH-containing subunits. The antigenic determinants on both types of subunits were all found to be different. These findings indicate that evolutionary changes must have occurred more slowly in SH-free subunits than in SH-containing subunits. Significant decreases or increases were found in the content of various evolutionarily distinct determinants reactive in the reaggregated subunits as compared to the ones reactive in monomeric subunits. These differences can result from the formation of new conformational antigenic determinants during aggregation as well as from the burial or exposure of other determinants after aggregation. Different amounts of evolutionarily distinct antigenic determinants were found to be reactive in the molecules dissociated into subunits than in the intact molecules one of the reasons being that the intact molecules contain phylogenetically distinct determinants which depend on the quaternary structure of the protein molecule. The data obtained indicate that the quaternary structure of cattle alpha crystallin has, to a large degree, remained unchanged since the origin of vertebrates.

Alligators and Crocodiles↗

The relative capacity of corneal, heart, kidney and skin cells to stimulate allogeneic lymphocytes.

In stimultaneous experiments, the ability of inbred Wistar-Furth rat corneal cells to stimulate inbred Fisher rat lymphocytes in mixed culture was compared with the stimulatory capacity of the same number of Wistar-Furth skin, kidney, heart and lymphocyte cells. The tissue cells were dissociated and after inhibition by mitomycin C cultured with an equal number of allogeneic spleen lymphocytes for 5 days. In all of these mixed cell cultures, the allogeneic lymphocytic response was mainly to the major Ag-B2 histocompatibility antigen. The stimulatory effect of corneal cells was found to be the same as that of heart, kidney and skin cells. The data indicate a lack of differences between the density of histocompatibility antigens on the surfaces of these cells.

Animals↗

A micro-procedure for quantitative precipitin tests.

A new method for the quantitative analysis of antigens and antibodies has been based on (1) ultrafiltration of the antigen-antibody precipitates through silver membranes of 0.2 micrometer pore size in a specially designed multisample apparatus, and (2) spectrophotometric determination at 210 nm of the amount of proteins in the antigen-antibody precipitates dissolved in 0.01 N HCl. At this wavelength, the = C = O group of the polypeptide chains constitutes the main chromophoric group. In comparisons with the ninhydrin color reaction, protein determination by low UV spectrophotometry, e.g., at 210 nm, was shown to be about 6 times more sensitive, permitting analysis of samples containing from 1.0 to 35.0 microgram of antigen. The concentration range of protein solutions in 0.01 N HCl which is measured at low UV can be regulated by a factor of 8--10 by changing absorption between 200 and 230 nm. Comparison of the ultrafiltration microtechnique with the standard quantitative precipitin microtechnique involving centrifugation of precipitates was made in 4 different antigen-antibody systems. The new technique was found to be as accurate as the standard technique. It allows completion of analysis within only 5--6 h. The standard precipitin technique, by contrast, requires a 5--7-day reaction period for completion.

Animals↗

The distribution and relative immunogenicity of calf alpha-crystallin antigenic determinants on different subunits.

In the native alpha-crystallin molecule, 45.9% of all reactive antigenic determinants were found to be located on SH-containing subunits. Of these, the majority (35.3%) were reaggregation dependent, and 10.6% were reactive on monomeric subunits. By contrast, only 10.9% of all antigenic determinants were located on SH-free subunits, and the ratio of aggregation-dependent determinants (4.4%) to those of monomeric subunits (6.5%) was reversed compared to SH-containing subunits. Among all antigenic determinants reactive in native alpha-crystallin, 44.1% were dependent on the presence of both types of subunits. These data indicate that the antigenic determinants requiring subunit interaction were formed from SH-containing and SH-free subunits in a ratio of 1:1. Direct analysis showed that in the alpha-crystallin molecule, the ratio of these subunits is 2:1. The experiments indicate that some conformations of subunits in the native molecule persist in separated subunits. The relative immunogenicity of each type of antigenic determinant expressed as the ratio of the percentage of the determinant reactive in the native calf lens alpha-crystallin to the percentage of corresponding antibodies induced by native alpha-crystallin was found to be close to 1.

Animals↗