Fast high-performance liquid chromatographic purification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

A procedure was established for the rapid isolation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) from an overproducing strain. Overexpression was achieved by the transformation of yeast cells with the multicopy plasmid YEp352 harbouring the PEPCK structural gene. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity using first anion-exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose and gel filtration on Sephacryl S200. The purified phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was further characterized with respect to the molecular mass, displaying an apparent molecular mass corresponding to a tetrameric form.     

Fast purification process optimization using mixed-mode chromatography sorbents in pre-packed mini-columns

Pre-packed MediaScout MiniChrom columns of 2.5, 5 and 10 mL were investigated for screening three mixed-mode chromatography sorbents (HEA, PPA and MEP HyperCel). Packing performance was of good quality and the three sorbents displayed higher capacity than traditional HIC sorbents in physiological-like conditions. Each sorbent offered a unique selectivity. Bovine beta-lactoglobulin was partially purified after loading milk whey directly on HEA HyperCel sorbent. The combination of small pre-packed columns and SELDI-MS appeared to be a valuable strategy for high-throughput screening of chromatography sorbents and for enabling rapid process development and optimization.     

Fast purification of trace vitellogenin from Chinese rare minnow using protein A-immobilized antibody

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is a highly responsive biomarker for environmental exposure to various estrogenically active compounds. Here we present a simple, fast, mild, and stable immobilization of anti-Vtg antibody, and demonstrate its powerful applications for preconcentration and purification of fish Vtg proteins, allowing for the monitoring and screening of environmental exposure to estrogenically active compounds. In this immobilization method, rabbit antiserum containing a specific polyclonal antibody against Vtg was directly immobilized on an antibody-binding Staphylococcal protein A matrix (SpA) without the need for prior purification. Under the unique elution conditions, the Vtg protein can be eluted out alone without any leaked specific antibody. The developed method was further used to purify Vtg from whole-body homogenate of Chinese rare minnow. Compared with previous purification methods, the isolated Vtg fraction by this method displays higher purity and well-preserved structure integrity. Moreover, our method is eight times faster. The simple one-step protein A-based specific antibody immobilization and its associated elution strategy may be extended to a number of antibodies for various application purposes, highlighting the paramount advantages over traditional immunoprecipitation and covalent immobilization of antibodies, and suggesting a wide range of promising applications in environmental monitoring and proteome analysis.     

Structural elucidation of a new cytotoxin isolated from mussels of the Adriatic sea.

A detailed analysis of the toxic composition in the hepatopancreas of mussels from northern Adriatic sea has been performed. Along with some polyether toxins of DSP (diarrhetic shellfish poisoning) type, such as yessotoxin and its analogues, which are responsible for a variety of human seafood poisonings throughout the world, we have now isolated a new type of toxin, the chlorosulfolipid 1, which is completely different in structure from the polyether DSP-toxins isolated so far. The structural determination of the new toxin, including its absolute stereochemistry, has been performed by extensive NMR analysis and molecular mechanics and dynamics calculations.     

Iodination and purification of oxytocin.

Oxytocin was iodinated using the thallium chloride method. Purification of iodination reaction mixture on Sephadex G-10 and G-15 was compared. Sephadex G-10 effected the separation of iodo-oxytocin from excess free radioiodide. Sephadex G-15 succeeded in separating iodinated from non-iodinated oxytocin as well as from readioiodide. It was found that the storage of unfractionated iodination mixture resulted in an apparent increase in the molecular size of iodinated hormone and that this process was accelerated at temperatures of -20 degrees in comparison with 4 degrees.     

Fast purification of cyclodextrin-glucosyltransferase fromBacillus circulans E 192 by affinity chromatography using an epichlorhydrin-reticulated copolymer of beta-cyclodextrin

Summary Bacillus circulans E 192 Cyclodextrin-glucosyltransferase was purified 40 fold to homogeneity on a large scale, by affinity chromatogrpahy on a β-CD copolymer cross-linked with epichlorhydrin. A preliminary step was necessary to remove maltooligosaccharides and cyclomaltooligosaccharides from the crude extract. The simplest method consists in performing the affinity chromatography directly from a redissolved 65% saturation ammonium sulfate precipitate of the crude extract. Five successive affinity runs of Cetavlon — treated concentrated extract gave about one gram of pure CGTase with a 70% yield, using 50 g of a 750 U/g β-CD copolymer. This rapid purification is described and the advantages of the method are discussed.     

Fast sweep a.c. polarography

Summary The design of a fast sweep a.c. polarograph suitable for recording second harmonic and intermodulation polarograms is described. The instrument was found suitable for determining reducible species down to concentrations of approximately 2×10^–7 M. By integrating the faradaic response a considerable improvement in precision can be obtained.

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Fast-Sweep-Wechselstrompolarographie

Zusammenfassung Ein Polarograph wird beschrieben, der zur Aufnahme von Polarogrammen mit Hilfe der 2. Harmonischen und der Zwischenmodulation geeignet ist. Reduzierbare Substanzen können bis herab zu 2 · 10^–7 M erfaßt werden. Durch Integration des Faradaystroms kann eine beträchtliche Verbesserung der Genauigkeit erreicht werden.

Lecture presented at Euroanalysis I Conference, 28. 8.–1. 9.1972 in Heidelberg, Germany.     

Fast and efficient separation of cytokinins from auxin and abscisic acid and their purification using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction

A method for separation of cytokinins from auxin and abscisic acid, which allows further separation of cytokinin ribotides from cytokinin bases, ribosides and glucosides and their purification on a single Oasis MCX column was developed. Due to the mixed reversed-phase and cation-exchange mode of the Oasis MCX sorbent the cationic cytokinin bases, ribosides and glucosides as well as the anionic auxin, abscisic acid and cytokinin ribotides are retained and can be sequentially eluted by solvents containing different concentrations of methanol and ammonium hydroxide. Characteristics of the method are high recoveries of analyzed phytohormones and their sufficient purity for quantification by HPLC–ELISA (RIA) or HPLC–MS.     

Large-scale purification of prosomes from calf's liver.

Prosomes, cytoplasmatic ribonucleoprotein complexes containing small ribonucleic acid (19S small cytoplasmic RNPs), are ubiquitous in eukaryotic organisms. A new method for the preparation of prosomes in large amounts, starting with ca. 2 kg of calf's liver, is described. A combination of centrifugation and low- and high-pressure chromatography was used to purify intact particles. An alternative purification of prosomes with Solanum tuberosum agglutinin bound to divinyl sulphone-activated agarose is discussed. Calf's liver prosomes have a similar protein composition and RNA content to prosomes isolated from other tissues.     

Affinity purification of proteins using expanded beds.

The use of expanded beds of affinity adsorbents for the purification of proteins from feedstocks containing whole or broken cells is described. It is demonstrated that such feedstocks can be applied to the bed without prior removal of particulate material by centrifugation or filtration thus showing considerable potential for this approach in simplifying downstream processing flow-sheets. A stable, expanded bed can be obtained using simple equipment adapted from that used for conventional packed bed adsorption and chromatography processes. Circulation and mixing of the adsorbent particles is minimal and liquid flow through the expanded bed shows characteristics similar to those of plug flow. Frontal analysis performed with the highly selective affinity system involving the adsorption of human polyclonal immunoglobulin G onto Protein A Sepharose Fast Flow indicate that the adsorption performance of the expanded bed is similar to that achieved when the same amount of adsorbent is used in a packed configuration at the same volumetric flow-rate. The adsorption performance of the expanded bed was not diminished when adsorption was carried out in the presence of intact yeast cells. Batch adsorption experiments also indicated that the adsorption characteristics of the affinity system were not greatly altered in the presence of cells in contrast to results from a less selective ion-exchange system. An expanded bed of Cibacron Blue Sepharose Fast Flow was used to purify phosphofructokinase from feedstock of disrupted yeast prepared by high pressure homogenisation without the need for prior removal of particulate material. The potential for the use of expanded beds in large scale purification systems is discussed.     

Fast,easy, and efficient method for the purification of phenolic isomers using a selective solid-phase scavenging process

The need for fast and efficient purification methods that can be easily handled and moreover automated is considerably increasing with the new techniques of high-throughput chemical synthesis. Following our previous work on the use of simple polymeric scavengers in fast reactions and purifications of organic substances, this article presents the results found during the development of a new method for the purification of phenolic substances. The purification method was found to be regulated by the interaction of acidic phenol groups with a basic polystyrene resin. Furthermore, the scavenging of phenolic isomers proved to be very selective for a given isomer. But the most interesting aspect of this method is that it is based on a simple contact in situ with the resin and that the adsorption/desorption process of the phenol was found to be solvent-dependent. The phenols can thus be freed from impurities, or other isomers, by a simple and fast contact with the resin in the first solvent, filtration, and washings, followed by liberation of the purified phenol by a last soaking in another solvent for desorption. The method was successfully applied to the purification of a crude reaction mixture issued from the Fries rearrangement of phenyl acetate, as well as to small libraries of phenolic derivatives.     

Sample purification on a microfluidic device.

Sample preparation has long been recognized as a significant barrier to the implementation of macroscopic protocols on microfabricated devices. Macroscopically, such tasks as removing salts, primers and other contaminants are performed by methods involving precipitation, specialized membranes and centrifuges, none of which are readily performed in microfluidic structures. Although some microfluidic systems have been developed for performing sample purification, their complexity may hinder the degree to which they can be implemented. We present a method of microchip-based sample purification that can be performed with even the simplest microfluidic designs. The technique is demonstrated by removing primers from a sample of amplified DNA, leaving only the product DNA. This provides a new sample preparation capability for microfluidic systems.     

Protein purification using immobilised triazine dyes.

This review attempts to identify proteins which selectively interact with immobilised triazine dyes such as Cibacron blue F3GA and Procion red HE 3B. Different support matrices are compared by examining the capacities of these dyes for proteins. Various approaches to the immobilisation of triazine dyes are considered together with the use of spacers. Some theories of the mechanism of protein retardation by immobilised dyes are discussed. A number of methods are suggested for the measurement of dye concentrations and for the modification of the binding of proteins to dye columns. The variety of elution methods is compared with a view to optimizing purifications. The scope of applications is reviewed as well as the choice of dye. Some advantages of triazine dyes over other affinity ligands are given. It is concluded that although no satisfactory mechanism for the binding of triazine dyes to proteins has yet been proposed, these dyes possess considerable potential for protein purification, particularly when applied on the large scale.     

Total structure determination of grassypeptolide, a new marine cyanobacterial cytotoxin

A collection of the cyanobacterium Lyngbya confervoides off Grassy Key in Florida yielded grassypeptolide (1), a 31-membered macrocyclic depsipeptide with unusually high D-amino acid content, two thiazolines, and one beta-amino acid. We report the rigorous 3D structure determination and conformational analysis in solution and solid state by NMR, MS, X-ray crystallography, chemical degradation, and molecular modeling involving distance geometry and restrained molecular dynamics. Grassypeptolide (1) inhibited cancer cell growth with IC50 values from 1.0 to 4.2 microM.     

The acid-base properties of Fast Grey R. A.

Summary The acid-base properties of Fast Grey R. A. have been studied with reference to the mode of chelation of the dye with different valent metals. The pK values of 3.83, 10.53 and 10.70 corresponding to the three steps of ionization of the free acid were evaluated by the aid of the relation between log [acid]/[salt] and p_H values obtained during the course of the potentiometric titration of the free acid with a free base.     

GC-MS determination of anabolic steroids after multi-immunoaffinity purification.

For many years, EC regulations have prohibited the use of anabolic agents in food-producing animals. Multiple screening methods have been published, but some lack specificity and some are difficult to apply when screening for unknowns in surveillance programmes. This paper presents a new and powerful technique, combining multiresidue immunoaffinity chromatography and GC-MS, for the simultaneous identification and semi-quantification of various anabolic steroids in urine and faeces samples of bovine origin. It should reduce the cost, time and effort of screening by limiting the number of tedious clean-up steps and analyses required. A preliminary extraction step is applied to the individual biological specimens: solid-phase extraction followed by enzymatic digestion in the case of urine samples and a single liquid extraction step for faeces. This step is followed by a first clean-up step involving both a solid-phase column and a rapid RP-HPLC separation. The individual biological fractions (urine or faeces) are further purified on a multiresidue immunoaffinity chromatographic gel (MIAC-steroids-CER) so as to decrease interferences due mainly to background signals. A final trimethylsilyl derivatization is followed by the analysis of the biological samples by a sensitive and specific GC-MS procedure.     

Liquid chromatographic purification and detection of anabolic compounds.

The role of liquid chromatography within methods of analysis for steroids, related compounds and beta-agonists in biological samples is discussed. Special attention is given to the application of liquid chromatography in sample preparation and extract clean-up. Different forms of liquid chromatography, including immunoaffinity chromatography, are compared and evaluated. Methods for confirmation based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and cryotrapping Fourier transform infrared spectrometry are discussed.     

Rational design of purification processes for recombinant proteins.

This paper discusses the elements important for rational design of purification processes for recombinant proteins. Main issues involved in selection of operations and process design are reviewed with particular emphasis on the challenges posed by recombinant proteins. This includes thermodynamic characterization of target protein and main contaminants, use of correlations and of expert knowledge for the development of an expert system for optimization and design (selection) of separation and purification (chromatographic) processes. The main deficiency in accurate information for rational process selection is in that required for high-resolution chromatographic processes. The authors show that a database with detailed information on properties of the main contaminants present in the fermentation streams of usual recombinant protein sources can be integrated to an expert system with an open architecture. This will allow more precise selection of unit operations for the design of protein purification processes.