Membrane associated enzyme complexes containing lambda type immunoglobulin A

Association of high-molecular-mass and electrophoretically atypical alkaline phosphatases

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of alkaline phosphatase may yield abnormally migrating fractions; these include high-molecular-mass alkaline phosphatase, which remains at the gel origin, and immunoglobulin-alkaline phosphatase complexes, which have a mobility approximately 1/3 that of liver isoenzyme. We performed a retrospective study of 19 patients whose sera exhibited atypical alkaline phosphatase fractions, defined as bands whose mobility was slower than bone, liver, or intestinal alkaline phosphatase; 17 had a mobility approximately 1/3 that of liver isoenzyme and 16 also exhibited gel origin enzyme activity or high-molecular-mass bands. The strong association of the atypical and high-molecular-mass alkaline phosphatases suggests that they may be structurally related, both consisting of either immunoglobulin-enzyme complexes or membrane-alkaline phosphatase complexes. This hypothesis is supported by (1) one serum available for investigation containing alkaline phosphatase-immunoglobulin complexes in both abnormally migrating fractions, but on detergent treatment showing no evidence of membrane-bound enzyme; (2) detergent treatment of serum from patients with only high-molecular-mass alkaline phosphatase creating bands with a mobility of approximately 1/3 that of the liver isoenzyme.

Multiple forms of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase. Association of the enzyme with lipoproteins

The association of gamma-glutamyltransferase activity with lipoproteins was investigated in serum from hepatobiliary diseased patients. From 60 to 80% of the total activity in such sera was bound in lipoprotein complexes. These complexes or multiple forms of gamma-glutamyltransferase could be separated into two main fractions by gel filtration or agarose gel electrophoresis. One fraction was characterized by gamma-glutamyltransferase of high molecular mass (Mr greater than 600,000) and beta-mobility and was detected in increased amounts in serum from patients with cholestasis. The main part of this activity was associated with lipoprotein-X and this complex could amount to 50% in some sera. The other fraction contained gamma-glutamyltransferase eluting in the molecular mass range of 250,000 to 450,000 and migrating with alpha 1 alpha 2-mobility. In this fraction complexes of gamma-glutamyltransferase and high-density lipoprotein were detected which could amount to 70% in non-icteric sera. However, heterogeneity in size, charge and density could be demonstrated in both fractions.