Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Y Tai

Publications and source records attributed to J Y Tai.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Isolation of type-specific polysaccharide antigen from group B type Ib streptococci.

Group B streptococcus type Ib (strain H36B) was subjected to digestion with extracellular muralytic enzymes prepared from Streptomyces albus. Type Ib-specific polysaccharide antigen was isolated from the lysate by alcohol precipitation and Sepharose 6B chromatography. The purified type Ib antigen has a Kd value of 0.31 on a Sepharose 4B column and contains four sugars, galactose, glucose, N-acetyl glucosamine, and sialic acid in a molar ratio of 2.05:0.86:1.00:0.90. Acid treatment (pH 2.0) of this polysaccharide results in partial degradation of the antigen (Kd = 0.41 on Sepharose 4B) with the loss of 93% of the sialic acid. The molar ratio of the remaining sugars in the polysaccharide remains identical to that in the native one. This suggests that the sialic acid is at the terminal position in the molecule. Both intact and acid-treated antigen cross-react with some type Ia and type Ic antisera as a result of the common Iabc determinant, but not with type II and type III antisera. Absorption studies indicate that Ib-specific determinant and Iabc determinant are on the same molecule and that sialic acid is not the cross-reactive determinant.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

The type-specific polysaccharides of Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis types 1 and 2 were subjected to digestion with lysozyme. Serologically type-specific capsular polysaccharides were isolated from the lysates by ethanol precipitation followed by Sepharose 6B chromatography. The purified type 1 polysaccharide has a Kd value of 0.074 on a Sepharose 4B column and contains galactose, glucose, N-acetyl glucosamine, N-acetyl galactosamine, and sialic acid in a molar ratio of 2.42:1.00:1.00:1.13:1.39. The type 2 polysaccharide has a Kd value of 0.185 and is composed of rhamnose, galactose, glucose, N-acetyl glucosamine, and sialic acid in a molar ratio of 1.07:3.17:1.00:0.94:1.00. A comparison is drawn between the type polysaccharides of S. suis and those of group B streptococci.

Carbohydrates↗

Studies on Limulus amoebocyte lysate II. Purification of the coagulogen and the mechanism of clotting.

A coagulogen in Limulus lysate has been purified to apparent homogeneity as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. The purified coagulogen identified by its ability to clot with either trypsin or the purified Limulus clotting enzyme (Tai, J.Y., and Liu, T. Y. (1976) Fed. Proc. 35, 1486) has a molecular weight of 24,500. It consists of a single polypeptide chain of about 220 amino acids with glycine and serine as its NH2- and COOH-terminal residues; respectively. When acted upon by the Limulus clotting enzyme, the coagulogen releases a soluble C-peptide of about 45 amino acids and an insoluble coagulin of about 170 amino acids. The latter interacts in a noncovalent fashion to form the clot. Amino acid analyses together with the results of NH2- and COOH-terminal analyses suggest that the clot formation involves the cleavage of an--Arg--Lys--bond. Trypsin acts on the coagulogen to cause clotting by splitting the same peptide bond.

Amino Acids↗

Studies on Limulus amoebocyte lysate. Isolation of pro-clotting enzyme.

A pro-clotting enzyme capable of causing the gelation of clottable proteins in Limulus polyphemus (horseshoe crab) has been purified to apparent homogeneity as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. The activation of the pro-clotting enzyme depended on the presence of both Ca+ and endotoxin. It contained gamma-carboxyglutamic acids and gave a single NH2-terminal lysine. The enzyme was inhibited by diisopropyl fluorophosphate, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and soy bean trypsin inhibitor, indicating that it is a serine protease. The molecular weight of the proclotting enzyme was determined to be at least 150,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis under reducing and denaturing conditions. The protein appears to consist of a single peptide chain, since exposure of the reduced and carboxymethylated enzyme to 6 M guanidine hydrochloride failed to dissociate it into any subunits.

Amino Acids↗

Primary structure of streptococcal proteinase. II. Isolation, composition, and amino acid sequences of the tryptic and chymotryptic peptides of cyanogen bromide fragment 5.

The amino acid sequence of the cyanogen bromide fragment 5 of streptococcal proteinase has been determined. This fragment comprises residues 130 to 253 of the proteinase chain. Six tryptic peptides were isolated from maleylated cyanogen bromide fragment 5, and their alignment was obtained by the overlap of chymotryptic peptides. Sequence analysis of tryptic, chymotryptic, and thermolysin peptides was performed by the 5-deimethylaminoaphthalene-1-sulfonyl technique and carboxypeptidases digestion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Primary structure of streptococcal proteinase. III. Isolation of cyanogen bromide peptides: complete covalent structure of the polypeptide chain.

The following sequence has been derived for streptococcal proteinase. (See article). The sequence permits the assignment of the single cysteine residue essential for catalytic action at position 47 from the NH2 terminus of the protein. The tryptophan residue at the binding site of the enzyme is at position 214. A histidine residue at position 195 has been assigned as the catalytically important entity in the molecule. Streptococcal proteinase and papain, an enzyme with similar properties, are compared with respect to structure and function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗