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Biomedical subjects

H F Deutsch

Publications and source records attributed to H F Deutsch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Preparation of human manganese superoxide dismutase by tri-phase partitioning and preliminary crystallographic data.

Human liver manganese superoxide dismutase has been purified by a short procedure that includes a tri-phase partitioning step to provide materials that can be crystallized from ammonium sulfate. X-ray diffraction studies at 3 A resolution show that the crystals belong to the hexagonal space group P6(1)22 or P6(5)22, with cell dimensions a = b = 81.1 A, c = 242.2 A. Manganese superoxide dismutase levels as determined by enzymatic assay as well as by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay indicated that considerable variations occur in different livers but the total superoxide dismutase activity (Mn superoxide dismutase plus Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase) seems to be kept at constant values.

Ammonium Sulfate

Analyses of polypeptides in the liver of a novel mutant (LEC rats) to hereditary hepatitis and hepatoma by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis: identification of P29/6.8 as carbonic anhydrase III and triosephosphate isomerase.

1. Total cellular proteins from the livers of 4-, 16- and 52-week-old hepatitis- and hepatoma-predisposed Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats were compared to those from the livers of the corresponding control rats [Long-Evans Agouti (LEA) rats] by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. 2. A polypeptide, p50/7.2 (molecular weight x 10(-3)/isoelectric point) was only found in the LEC rats, and the p43/6.4 component was greater and the p51/6.8 component was less in the LEC rats than in the LEA rats during aging. 3. A polypeptide, p29/6.8, was dramatically greater in 4-week-old LEC rats than in 4-week-old LEA rats. 4. By sequencing and Western blotting analysis, the marked differences in the level of the p29/6.8 component were found to be due to carbonic anhydrase III.

Aging

Chemistry and biology of alpha-fetoprotein.

Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) is a product of specific fetal tissues and of neoplastic cells of hepatocyte or germ cell origin in adults. This protein belongs to a gene family that is phylogenetically most closely related to serum albumin. Its primary, secondary, and tertiary structural aspects appear similar to the three-domain concept proposed for the latter protein. The primary sequence of AFP departs most widely from serum albumin in the first 135 amino acid residues, with about 42% of the remaining 590 residues of the human proteins being identical. Some evidence exists that there are limited sequence differences in the AFP of a given animal species. AFP shows considerable charge heterogeneity that appears to relate mostly to its glycoid moiety. The proteins of some species such as the rat show more pronounced heterogeneities than that of humans. The variations in extent and type of glycosylations are evidenced by differences in the binding to various lectins. These interactions are being extensively explored in attempts to differentiate the sources of the protein produced by various normal and neoplastic cells and may provide valuable diagnostic methods. AFP, like serum albumin, shows relatively strong binding affinities for a variety of ligands. The most notable difference is the strong preferential binding of polyunsaturated fatty acids by AFP. This protein may play a role in transporting these substances to developing and to malignant cells. Various agents affect the synthesis of this protein both by specific fetal tissues and by neoplastic cells. Marked differences in the responses of cells, particularly those of neoplastic types, are indicative of variations in the genetic factors responsible for control of its synthesis. The subject of the genomic repression of the synthesis of AFP seen in fetal life upon maturation of the liver and the reoccurrence of synthesis upon malignant conversion of hepatocytes and of certain germ cells are of particular interest. The regulation of the closely related AFP and albumin genes is providing a powerful and attractive model to examine molecular events in the activation and inactivation of specific genes during development and in oncogenic processes. Extensive measurements of AFP during pregnancy and in the course of neoplasias, notably hepatoma, are being made to aid in following changes in such developments. Various specific physiological roles for this protein are also being proposed. One of these is its possible action in the regulation of immune processes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence

Human liver manganese superoxide dismutase. Purification and crystallization, subunit association and sulfhydryl reactivity.

Manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) has been purified with a high yield (320 mg) from human liver (2 kg) and crystallized. Low-angle laser light scattering of the enzyme has shown that native enzyme is a tetrametic form. Four of the eight cysteine residues in the tetramer reacted with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) or with iodoacetamide. The others were only reactive in protein heated with SDS or urea after reduction with dithiothreitol or 2-mercaptoethanol. The reactive sulfhydryl group was found to be located at Cys196 by amino acid sequence analysis of Nbs2-reactive peptides isolated by activated thiol-Sepharose covalent chromatography. Incubation of Mn-SOD in 1% SDS for 2 or 3 days at 25 degrees C or 5 min at 100 degrees C gave material showing two prominent components on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of 0.1% SDS. The major component had a molecular mass of 23 kDa; the other, 25 kDa. Reduction of the protein by dithiothreitol or 2-mercaptoethanol heated in SDS produced only the 25-kDa monomer species. Essentially, no thiol groups were detected in the 23-kDa form, in which two cysteine residues appear to have been oxidized to form an intrasubunit disulfide. This indicates that Cys196 has a reactive sulfhydryl and appears to be a likely candidate for a mixed disulfide formation in vivo.

Chromatography, Gel

Purification of soluble enzymes from erythrocyte hemolysates by three phase partitioning.

1. The three phase partitioning method of protein fractionation was successfully applied to human erythrocyte hemolysates for the removal of hemoglobin and the concentration of soluble enzymes. 2. Human carbonic anhydrase I and II, catalase and superoxide dismutase were recovered free of hemoglobin and in good yield in the initial partitioning step, with a 60- to 80-fold enrichment of enzyme activities. 3. After further purification, carbonic anhydrases I and II were obtained at overall yields of 84 and 29%, respectively, crystallized catalase at 38% and superoxide dismutase at 52%.

Carbonic Anhydrases

Immunogenic and antigenic epitopes of Ig. XXV. Monoclonal antibodies that differentiate the Mcg+/Mcg- and Oz+/Oz- C region isotypes of human lambda L chains.

The C region of human lambda L chains is specified by multiple C lambda genes of which three--C lambda 1, C lambda 2, and C lambda 3--encode for the isotypes designated Mcg+, Kern- Oz-, and Kern- Oz+, respectively. The Mcg, Kern, and Oz factors have been characterized by sequence differences involving specific C lambda amino acid residues. They have also been recognized serologically by polyclonal antisera but, with rare exception, these reagents are no longer available. We have obtained two murine anti-human lambda-chain mAb, 14G1 and 14D1, that recognize antigenic determinants specific for the C lambda isotypes Mcg and Oz, respectively. These antisera have been used to classify as Mcg+/Mcg- or Oz+/Oz- monoclonal lambda-chains (Bence Jones proteins) and intact Ig lambda proteins. There was complete concordance between the chemical and serologic assignment of lambda-chains as Mcg+/Mcg- or as Oz+/Oz-; no single protein expressed both isotypes. There was no evident association between the C region isotype Mcg or Oz and the V region subgroup of the protein tested. However, our finding that four of seven amyloid-associated lambda VI Bence Jones proteins were Oz+ suggests a predominant expression of the C lambda 3 gene product among proteins of this uncommon V lambda subgroup.

Animals

Attempts to suppress experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in rats with alpha fetoprotein.

Rats of the Lewis strain were immunized with bovine basic myelin protein to develop experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Neither human nor rat fetal sources of purified alpha-fetoprotein were able to significantly ameliorate the development of this dyscrasia. The plasma of pregnant rats at term was without effect. Immunization of pregnant rats was also accompanied by the usual course of development of typical encephalomyelitis.

Animals

Studies of a human lambda-chain epitope related to a complementarity-determining region.

A tryptic non-adecapeptide representing the 24-42 sequence of the MCG lambda-type Bence-Jones protein, and which contains its entire complementarity-determining region-1, was isolated. The peptide was utilized in preparing an affinity column that was used to isolate an antibody having the reactivity of a previously employed idiotypic antibody to MCG. This antibody preparation, as well as 13 monoclonal mouse antibodies to human lambda-chains, was employed in an enzyme-linked immunoassay to detect other Bence-Jones proteins with this serologic specificity. The results obtained with two of the monoclonal antibodies suggest that the epitope in question is a noncontiguous one.

Amino Acids

Variable-region sequence homologies of human kappa-chains with idiotypic serologic similarities.

An antibody to the V-region of a kappa I light chain has been used to detect other human kappa-chains with similar idiotypic specificities that appear to be related to complementarity-determining regions (CDR). Four such proteins, three of which react with this antibody, have been sequenced. While the proteins show relatively strong sequence similarities in their CDR2 regions, the relatively high degree of homology in a localized segment of the V-region of lambda-chains detected by this method was not observed here.

Amino Acid Sequence

Simplified methods for isolation of ubiquitin from erythrocytes. Generation of ubiquitin polymers.

1. Ubiquitin has been isolated from bovine erythrocytes by procedures in which the hemoglobin was removed by denaturation with either ethanol-chloroform mixtures or by heating. 2. The proteins soluble to the denaturation step were removed by 3% sodium trichloroacetate (TCA) at pH 2.0-2.5 or by 5% TCA. 3. Ubiquitin was isolated in relatively high yield from the TCA insoluble fraction by use of single ion-exchange chromatographic and gel permeation steps. 4. Ubiquitin shows relatively little cross-linking upon treatment with glutaraldehyde or with dimethyl suberimidate. Heating of the glutaraldehyde treated material in 4 M guanidine, however, leads to marked aggregation. 5. The polymers of ubiquitin react strongly with antibody in an immunoblot assay.

Animals

Carbonic anhydrases.

Some of the current studies of carbonic anhydrases are directed to the genetic mechanisms underlying their synthesis. Determination of the structure of their genes will probably most readily resolve the question of whether the membrane bound forms of the enzyme represent products of additional loci other than those of the three well-known soluble forms. Extensions of our knowledge of the sequences of these isozymes as well as those from lower animals and from plants will make possible a more precise evaluation of the extent of the multigene aspects of these proteins and their evolutionary backgrounds. Studies of the interrelationships of the regulation of the transcriptional and translational processes of the well-known isozymes and in particular the effects of hormones will be of interest. Insights into modifications of the isozymes' synthetic processes occurring in various diseases should also be forth-coming from these studies. In addition to the above the applications of what are perhaps today somewhat classical methods of protein chemistry will be needed to explore the reasons for the changes in activity accompanying the sequence variations of the different isozymes, the decreases or increases in activity accompanying derivatizations of specific residues and the reasons for the differences in the activity of different inhibitors on the various isozymes. The broad specificity of these enzymes for different substrates and the ability of CA-III to hydrolyze various phenyl esters and in some cases to become derivatized also present problems in protein structural chemistry. In terms of the latter reactions, the meaning of the relationships of these activities to those of the protein ubiquitin, which is homologous to CA-III, needs clarification. It would appear that various of the protein structural studies will be aided by crystallographic investigations of not only CA-III but of various of its derivatives which undergo either increases or decreases in activity. The above areas of studies present a wide variety of problems for workers in various disciplines and backgrounds who are interested in the carbonic anhydrases.

Animals

Determination of the distribution of fatty acids and diethylstilbestrol between serum albumin and alpha-fetoprotein by concanavalin A affinity chromatography.

The distribution of fatty acids and diethylstilbestrol between serum albumin and alpha-fetoprotein was measured in vitro by a new method based on the separation of the two proteins by virtue of the binding specificity of concanavalin A for the carbohydrate moiety of alpha-fetoprotein. Human and bovine proteins were investigated. It was found that palmitate and oleate were distributed almost equally between albumin and alpha-fetoprotein, while docosahexaenoate and diethylstilbestrol bound preferentially to alpha-fetoprotein even at an albumin: alpha-fetoprotein ratio of 10:1. The results confirm the binding specificity of alpha-fetoprotein for polyunsaturated fatty acids and also show that alpha-fetoprotein binds diethylstilbestrol much more strongly than albumin does. This suggests that alpha-fetoprotein may play a role in the fetal uptake of diethylstilbestrol.

Animals

Acylation and carbamylation of equine muscle carbonic anhydrase (CA-III) upon reaction with p-nitrophenyl esters and carbamoyl phosphate.

Equine muscle carbonic anhydrase (CA-III) behaves like ubiquitin in undergoing extensive acylation of N epsilon-lysine residues upon reacting with p-nitrophenyl esters. The enzyme undergoes extensive carbamoylation of lysine residues when reacted with carbamoyl phosphate. The modification of from 6 to 7 lysine residues results in the production of a series of more anodic electrophoretic components. The derivatization of the lysine residues leads to a marked decrease in the enzyme's ability to hydrate CO2. The equine CA-III possesses both acid and alkaline phosphatase activities in contrast to the rabbit which possesses only the former type.

Acylation

Investigations of primary and secondary structure of porcine ubiquitin. Its N epsilon-acetylated lysine derivative.

N epsilon-acetylation in vitro of internal lysyl residues of Ub by p-nitro-phenyl acetate at pH 8.0 was performed. The position of acetylation sites are determined. (e.g. Fully acetylated: Lys-6, Lys-11 and Lys-33; partially free internal lysines: Lys-27, Lys-29; Lys-48 and probably Lys-63.) 55 cycles Edman degradation were performed and the first 53 N-terminal residues were identified. Secondary structural studies of ubiquitin have been carried out using the circular dichroism (CD) technique. No changes are noted upon heating to 100 degrees C at neutral pH even in the presence of 8 M urea but in 6 M guanidine-HCl extensive modification results. Ubiquitin with an average of 4.4 of its 7 lysines in the N epsilon-acetyl form shows little deviation from native protein. After reduction with dithiothreitol and subsequent removal of the mercaptan, significant changes in the secondary structure are noted. Circular dichroic measurements of ubiquitin indicated an alpha-helical content of about 10% whereas the secondary structural predictions of Chou and Fasman suggest a level of about 45%.

Acetylation

Human alpha-fetoprotein. Fluorescence studies on binding and proximity relationships for fatty acids and bilirubin.

The binding of bilirubin and the polyene fatty acids cis-parinaric acid and cis-eleostearic acid to human alpha-fetoprotein was studied using fluorescence quenching and fluorescence enhancement techniques. alpha-Fetoprotein has three fatty acid binding sites of decreasing affinity (association constants 2.1 x 10(7) M-1 9.1 X 10(5) M-1, and 1.4 x 10(5) M-1) and one relatively strong and one relatively weak bilirubin binding site (association constants 1.1 x 10(7) M-1 and 1.8 x 10(5) M-1). These association constants are slightly weaker than the corresponding association constants for binding to human albumin. Competition experiments failed to show preferential binding of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fluorescence quenching was used to determine 11 ligand-ligand and ligand-tryptophanyl residue distances. Each of these 11 calculated distances (ranging from 19 A to 32 A) was within 5 A of the corresponding distances measured previously for human albumin (Berde, C.B., Hudson, B.S., Simoni, R.D., and Sklar, L.A. 1979, J. Biol. Chem. 254, 391-400). Thus, in addition to previously described sequence homology, immunologic cross-reactivity, and other similarities, human albumin and human alpha-fetoprotein have functional and geometric homologies.

Bilirubin

The presence of fatty acids in human alpha-fetoprotein.

alpha-Fetoprotein has been prepared from human fetal tissue by procedures utilizing DEAE-Sephadex, concanavalin A-Sepharose, and isoelectric focusing. A major and a minor component with isoelectric points of 4.7 and 5.3, respectively, have been isolated and are similar to those prepared under various conditions by other investigators. The 4.7 material contains 2.4 mol of fatty acids/mol of protein, whereas the minor component is fat-free. The relative amounts of fatty acid vary somewhat with different preparations. The ranges found in three isolates were as follows: palmitic acid (8 to 11%), stearic acid (2 to 5%), oleic acid (10 to 28%), linoleic acid (7 to 15%), arachidonic acid (12 to 39%), and 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (16 to 42%). Human fetal serum albumin contained 0.7 mol of fatty acid/mol of protein, with arachidonic acid and the docosahexaenoic acid comprising only 11.4% of the total. Removal of fatty acids by treatment with charcoal converted alpha-fetoprotein into material with an isoelectric point of pH 5.3. Addition of arachidonic acid to the lipid-free protein restored it to protein with a pH 4.7 isoelectric point, typical of the major native component. The possible role of the fatty acids in alpha-fetoprotein on the inhibition of various lymphocyte functions is projected.

Chromatography, Gas