Detergent solubilization with

Radioiodinated derivatives have been prepared to define more closely the target site of a-conotoxins on the acetylcholine receptor (R. Myers, unpublished data). In membrane preparations from Torpedo electroplax, photoactivatable azidosalicylate derivatives of a-conotoxin GIA preferentially label the p and 7 subunits of the acetylcholine receptor. However, when the photoactivatable derivative is cross-linked to detergent solubilized acetylcholine receptor (AChR), only the 7 subunit is labeled. Since snake a-neurotoxins mainly bind to the a subunits of AChR and a-conotoxins compete directly with a-bungarotoxin, the cross-linking results above are both intriguing and problematic. 

The water-splitting activity of detergent-solubilized and AP-trapped PS2 reaction centers was measured using a Clark electrode. As shown in Figure 4, differences between the two types of samples were minimal, with a slight decrease of activity when the pH of the P-DM solution was shifted to pH 8 and a moderate increase following addition of A8-35, dilution below the CMC of p-DM and treatment with BioBeads. 

The cell-bound amylopullulanase was solubilized with detergent and lipase. It was then purified to homogeneity by treatment with streptomycin sulfate and ammonium sulfate, and by DEAE-Sephacel, octyl-Sepharose and puUulan-Sepharose column chromatography (12). The final enzyme solution was purified 3511-fold over the crude enzyme extract with an overall recovery of 42% and had a specific activity of 481 units/mg protein. The average molecular weight of the enzyme was 136,500 determined by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and SDS-PAGE, and it had an isoelectric point at pH 5.9. It was rich in acidic and hydrophobic amino acids. The purified enzyme was quite thermostable in the absence of substrate even up to 90°C with essentially no loss of activity in 30 min. However, the enzyme lost about 40% of its original activity at 95 C tested for 30 min. The optimum tenq)erature for the action of the purified enzyme on pullulan was 90°C. However, the enzyme activity rapidly decreased on incubation at 95°C to only 38% of the maximal 30 min. The enzyme was stable at pH 3.0-5.0 and was optimally active at pH 5.5. It produced only maltotriose and no panose or isopanose from pullulan. 

If solubilization is necessary, the homogenized samples are solubilized with the detergent, for example, Triton X-100. 

Nielson, C. S. and Bjerrum, 0. J. 1977. Crossed immunoelectrophoresis of bovine milk fat globule membrane protein solubilized with non-ionic detergent. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 466, 496-509. 

The bacterial cellulose synthase from Acetobacter xylinum can be solubilized with detergents, and the resulting enzyme generates characteristic 1.7 ran cellulose fibrils (Fig. 20-4) from UDP-glucose.125/127-129 These are similar, but not identical, to the fibrils of cellulose I produced by intact bacteria.125 130 Each native fibril appears as a left-handed helix which may contain about nine parallel chains in a crystalline array. Three of these helices appear to coil together (Fig. 20-4) to form a larger 3.7-nm left-handed helical fibril. Similar fibrils are formed by plants. In both... 

To study transport in the absence of complicating metabolic processes, it often is advantageous to work with isolated membrane vesicles rather than with whole cells. Cytoplasmic membrane vesicles can be obtained from either eukaryotic or bacterial cells after homogenization or osmotic lysis. Transport proteins that have been solubilized with detergents also can be reincorporated into synthetic phospholipid vesicles (fig. 17.27). 

Ion channels have been purified from several types of excitable cells. The proteins that make up the voltage-gated Na+ channels of brain neurons were first identified by labeling them with reactive derivatives of neurotoxins obtained from scorpions. Intact channels were purified from both brain and muscle after solubilization with detergents. When the purified proteins were incorporated into phospholipid vesicles or planar bilayer membranes, they were found to conduct Na+ across the membrane. The ion specificity of the reconstituted channels and the alterations of the conductance in response to changes in Aift or to various neurotoxins were similar to the properties of the original nerve or muscle membranes. In addition to scorpion toxins, a variety of other specific neurotoxins bind to the purified channels and inhibit their activities. These include tetrodotoxin (a poison obtained from... 

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