Development of a high-performance capillary isoelectric focusing technique with application to studies of microheterogeneity in chicken conalbumin

Resin structure impacts two-component protein adsorption and separation in anion exchange chromatography

The influence of the resin structure, on the competitive binding and separation of a two-component protein mixture with anion exchange resins is evaluated using conalbumin and green fluorescent protein as a model system. Two macroporous resins, one with large open pores and one with smaller pores, are compared to a resin with grafted polymers. Investigations include measurements of single and two-component isotherms, batch uptake kinetics and two-component column breakthrough. On both macroporous resins, the weaker binding protein, conalbumin, is displaced by the stronger binding green fluorescent protein. For the large pore resin, this results in a pronounced overshoot and efficient separation by frontal chromatography. The polymer-grafted resin exhibits superior capacity and kinetics for one-component adsorption, but is unable to achieve separation due to strongly hindered counter-diffusion. Intermediate separation efficiency is obtained with the smaller pore resin. Confocal laser scanning microscopy provides a mechanistic explanation of the underlying intra-particle diffusional phenomena revealing whether unhindered counter-diffusion of the displaced protein can occur or not. This study demonstrates that the resin's intra-particle structure and its effects on diffusional transport are crucial for an efficient separation process. The novelty of this work lies in its comprehensive nature which includes examples of the three most commonly used resin structures: a small pore agarose matrix, a large-pore polymeric matrix, and a polymer grafted resin. Comparison of the protein adsorption properties of these materials provides valuable clues about advantages and disadvantages of each for anion exchange chromatography applications.

A novel porous polymeric microsphere for the selective adsorption and isolation of conalbumin

Porous polymeric microspheres, poly(styrene-divinyl benzene, PSDVB)-poly(ethylene glycol monoallyl ether, PEGMAE), termed as PSDVB-PEGMAE, are prepared via double emulsion interfacial polymerization strategy. PSDVB-PEGMAE microspheres exhibit a mean diameter of 2.98 μm, and possess heterogeneous porous structure with a pore volume of 0.354 cm³ g^-1 and a pore size of 34.3 nm. PEGMAE moiety is identified on the external surface of the microspheres, while both PSDVB and PEGMAE moieties are found in the interior pores. The PSDVB-PEGMAE microspheres possess favorable selectivity towards the adsorption of conalbumin (ConA) through hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interactions, via surface and inter-pore adsorption. At pH 6, an adsorption capacity of 171.9 mg g^-1 is achieved for ConA. The captured ConA may be readily recovered by stripping with a cetane trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) solution (0.1%, m/v). The microspheres are further used for the isolation of ConA from egg white, deriving high purity ConA as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE assay.

cIEF for rapid pKa determination of small molecules: a proof of concept

A capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) method was developed for the determination of the ionization constants (pKa) of small molecules. Two approaches used to decrease the electroosmotic flow (EOF) were compared: (i) a hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) coated capillary in aqueous medium and (ii) the addition of glycerol to act as a viscosifying agent. The cIEF method with the glycerol medium was selected, and the ionization constants of 22 basic and 21 acidic compounds, including 15 pharmaceutical drugs, were determined, resulting in pKa values from 3.5 to 7.4 and 6.4 to 9.3, respectively. cIEF offers an interesting alternative to other techniques for pKa determination with low sample consumption, high throughput and low cost.

Identification of five reptile egg whites protein using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and LC/MS-MS analysis

Proteomics of egg white proteins of five reptile species, namely Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis), soft-shelled turtle (Trionyx sinensis taiwanese), red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were studied by 2D-PAGE using IPG strip pH 4-7 size 7 cm and IPG strip pH 3-10 size 24 cm. The protein spots in the egg white of the five reptile species were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and LC/MS-MS analysis. Sequence comparison with the database revealed that reptile egg white contained at least seven protein groups, such as serpine, transferrin precursor/iron binding protein, lysozyme C, teneurin-2 (fragment), interferon-induced GTP-binding protein Mx, succinate dehydrogenase iron-sulfur subunit and olfactory receptor 46. This report confirms that transferrin precursor/iron binding protein is the major component in reptile egg white. In egg white of Siamese crocodile, twenty isoforms of transferrin precursor were found. Iron binding protein was found in four species of turtle. In egg white of soft-shelled turtle, ten isoforms of lysozyme were found. Apart from well-known reptile egg white constituents, this study identified some reptile egg white proteins, such as the teneurin-2 (fragment), the interferon-induced GTP-binding protein Mx, the olfactory receptor 46 and the succinate dehydrogenase iron-sulfur subunit.

Proteomic analysis of egg white proteins during storage

Egg storage causes egg white to lose its viscous nature to form a thin liquid, commonly referred to as egg white thinning. To understand the mechanisms underlying egg white thinning, white-shell eggs were used in the present study to determine the proteome-level changes of egg white proteins occurred during storage. Egg white thinning was observed visually after 20 days of storage at ambient temperature (22 ± 2 °C) when the maximum number of proteome-level changes occurred. The proteins that showed significant changes in abundance during storage included ovalbumin, clusterin, ovoinhibitor, ovotransferrin, and prostaglandin D2 synthase. Among these, only the abundance of clusterin was observed to change continuously during the storage period. Hence, it is expected that the increase in the concentrations of clusterin and ovoinhibitor along with the change of ovalbumin content during storage might contribute to egg white thinning. Degradation of ovalbumin/clusterin during egg storage may be due to the combined effect of proteolysis and increase in pH; this may also be partly responsible for egg white thinning phenomenon.

Charge heterogeneity of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody conjugated with a cytotoxic antitumor antibiotic, calicheamicin

A robust and highly reproducible capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) method for the evaluation of charge heterogeneity of monoclonal antibody (mAb) pharmaceutical which contains covalently bound antitumor compounds was developed using a combination of commercially available dimethylpolysiloxane-coated capillary and carrier ampholyte. In order to optimize major analytical parameters for robust mobilization, experimental responses from three pI markers were selected. The optimized method gave excellent repeatability and intermediate precision in estimated pI values of charge variants with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of not more than 0.06% and 0.95%, respectively, when using IgG(4) as a model. Furthermore, RSDs of charge variant compositions were less than 5.0%. These results suggest that the proposed method can be a powerful tool for reproducible evaluation of charge variants of both naked mAbs and their conjugates with high resolution, and it is applicable to quality testing and detailed characterization in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, it should be noticed that the method provided non-linear pH gradient within the tested ranges, from pI 9.50 to 3.78, and the pH gradient caused the inconsistency of estimated pI ranges between cIEF and gel IEF. This result indicates that selecting appropriate pI markers based on the target pI ranges of charge variants for each mAb related pharmaceutical is highly recommended for the precise determination of pI values.

Capillary isoelectric focusing coupled offline to matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

This work presents several critical details for making cIEF-MALDI-MS a robust technique which will allow for more routine application and aid in automation. This includes emphasis on the hardware necessary for syringe pump mobilization and proper protocol for preventing disruption from gas bubbles. Following these guidelines, excellent elution time reproducibility is demonstrated for six pI markers (RSD <5%). Additionally, the pI markers are used to calibrate the pH gradient and determine experimental pIs of proteins detected offline by mass spectrometry. This was demonstrated using a standard protein mixture of myoglobin and two forms of beta-lactoglobulin. Experimental determination of protein pIs and molecular weights were found to be in agreement with literature values. The technical details discussed provide a sound foundation for applying the offline coupling of MALDI-MS with cIEF.

pH-gradient ion-exchange chromatography: an analytical tool for design and optimization of protein separations

This work demonstrates that a highly linear, controllable and wide-ranged pH-gradient can be generated through an ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) column. Such a pH-gradient anion-exchange chromatography was evaluated with 17 model proteins and found that acidic (pI<6) and basic (pI>8) proteins elute roughly at their pI, whereas neutral proteins (pI 6-8) elute at pH 8-9 regardless their pI values. Because of the flat nature of protein titration curves from pH approximately 6 to approximately 9, neutral proteins indeed exhibit nearly zero net charge at pH approximately 9. The elution-pH in pH-gradient IEC or the titration curve, but not the pI, was identified as the key parameter for pH optimization of preparative IEC in a fast and rational way. The pH-gradient IEC was also applied and found to be an excellent analytical tool for the fractionation of crude protein mixtures.

On-line chemiluminescence detection for isoelectric focusing of heme proteins on microchips

In this paper we present a sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) detection of heme proteins coupled with microchip IEF. The detection principle was based on the catalytic effects of the heme proteins on the CL reaction of luminol-H2O2 enhanced by para-iodophenol. The glass microchip and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/glass microchip for IEF were fabricated using micromachining technology in the laboratory. The modes of CL detection were investigated and two microchips (glass, PDMS/glass) were compared. Certain proteins, such as cytochrome c, myoglobin, and horseradish peroxidase, were focused by use of Pharmalyte pH 3-10 as ampholytes. Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose was added to the sample solution in order to easily reduce protein interactions with the channel wall as well as the EOF. The focused proteins were transported by salt mobilization to the CL detection window. Cytochrome c, myoglobin, and horseradish peroxidase were well separated within 10 min on a glass chip and the detection limits (S/N=3) were 1.2x10(-7), 1.6x10(-7), and 1.0x10(-10) M, respectively.

Determination of the isoelectric point of proteins by capillary isoelectric focusing

Different ways of determining isoelectric points (pI) of proteins in capillary isoelectric focusing are reviewed here. Due to the impossibility of direct pH measurements in the liquid phase, such assessments have to rely on the use of pI markers. Different types of pI markers have been described: dyes, fluorescently labelled peptides, sets of proteins of known pI values. It appears that, perhaps, the best system is a set of 16 synthetic peptides, trimers to hexamers, made to contain each a Trp residue for easy detection at 280 nm. By a careful blend of acidic (Asp, Glu), mildly basic, with pK around neutrality (His), and basic (Lys, Arg) amino acids, it is possible to obtain a series of pI markers with pI values quite evenly distributed along the pH scale, possessing good buffering capacity and conductivity around their pI values and thus focusing as sharp peaks. Another approach to pI determination is the monitoring of the current during mobilization: this allows, with the aid of known pI markers, to calibrate the system with a pI/current graph. Pitfalls and common errors in pI determinations are reviewed here and guidelines given for minimizing such errors in pI estimation.

Improved capillary isoelectric focusing method for recombinant erythropoietin analysis

Human erythropoietin (EPO) is an endogenously produced glycoprotein, which plays a key role in the erythropoiesis process. Production of erythropoietin by recombinant DNA techniques has made possible its therapeutical use besides its misuse in sport competitions. The link between glycosylated form and protein activity makes necessary a method to analyze the glycoforms' distribution in the recombinant products. In this work, a capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) method is presented that allows the analysis of erythropoietin glycoforms. Besides, the cIEF method can be easily implemented in different laboratories. In order to get a feasible and precise cIEF method the following factors have been studied and optimized: (i) neutral coated capillaries, 27 cm long are employed, (ii) ampholytes in the pH range 2 to 10 are used, (iii) bovine beta-lactoglobulin A is chosen as internal standard, (iv) anolyte consisting of 91 mM H3PO4 in cIEF gel is made by weight and catholyte is prepared by titrating 20 mM NaOH with H3PO4 to pH 11.85-11.90, (v) sample is completely depleted of excipients and sodium chloride 10 mM final concentration is added, and (v) t(n)/t(I.S.) and (A(n) - A(I.S.))/A(I.S.), n being the recombinant EPO glycoform considered and I.S. the internal standard, are chosen as indexes to express migration time and area. As a result, a precise method to analyze erythropoietin by capillary isoelectric focusing is achieved with intra-assay RSD < or = 0.5% for index time and < or = 1.5% for index area and inter-sample, inter-anolyte, and inter-catholyte precision better than 3.4% for index time and RSD lower than 2.2% for index area.

Comparison of different electrophoretic separations of hen egg white proteins

The hen egg white protein composition has not yet been fully defined. To improve the knowledge of this biological fluid, the most usual and recently developed electrophoretic methods have been used: SDS-PAGE, native-PAGE, isoelectric focusing (IEF), and 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). Seven of the major known proteins were thus identified in at least one electrophoretic system. Isoforms of ovotransferrin, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid were visualized when pI was used for the separation. Two-dimensional electrophoresis allowed separation of a very large number of spots. In each of the four systems, some components were revealed but not identified, and unknown spots were particularly numerous with 2DE. With this technique, many spots corresponding to small acidic proteins were highlighted, among which was the Ch21 protein, whose presence in hen egg white was thus confirmed. This study thus constitutes, to our knowledge, the first proteomic investigation of hen egg white.

Capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of food proteins of animal origin

In recent years, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has become an analytical technique with many applications in the study of food proteins and peptides. This review describes the existing CE methods of analysis of milk, egg, meat and fish proteins and peptides. The major developments in the application of CE to solve different problems in food technology, such as the assessment of technological processes, quality, and authenticity control of animal foods, are considered. A section dealing with future directions on the analysis of food proteins by CE is also included.

One-step capillary isoelectric focusing for the separation of the recombinant human immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoprotein glycoforms

One-step capillary isoelectric focusing was investigated as a rapid method to resolve the glycoforms of the heterogeneous recombinant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoprotein (rgp 160sMN/LAI). The separation was performed in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) coated capillary using a mixture of ampholyte of narrow and wide pH range. A combination of saccaharose and 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid was shown to be the most efficient additive to avoid protein precipitation which occurs at a pH close to its pI. Although the calibration curve [isoelectric point (pI) vs. migration times] showed a non-linear relationship, an adequate linearity could be yielded for short pI ranges permitting to exhibit the acidic character of the different glycoforms of the rgp 160s MN/LAI (pI from 4.00 to 4.95). Reproducibility evaluated by comparing the performance of a polyacrylamide and a PVA coated capillary showed that low RSD values were obtained for intra-day (0.5 to 1.9%) and inter-day (1.6 to 7.6%) measurements using the PVA capillary. Moreover, the long term stability of the PVA capillary was demonstrated by measuring the variation of migration times of the protein markers for a long period of use. Finally, this method was able to differentiate the glycoform pattern of two close glycoproteins such as the rgp 160 of two sub-populations of the virus HIV-1.

Capillary electrophoresis of proteins for proteomic studies

Analyses of proteins in complex mixtures such as cell lyzates are presently performed mainly by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. For structural analysis, each protein in a spot is digested with proteases and the fragment peptides are subjected to Edman sequencing and/or mass spectrometry. These works aim at the total analysis of proteins in a complex mixture and reconstruction of their cooperative functions. Genomic studies are now being combined with these proteomic studies. This review article focuses on the application of capillary electrophoresis aiming at the total analysis of complex protein systems or structural analysis of each separated protein. From this viewpoint, articles on capillary zone electrophoresis, capillary isoelectric focusing, and sieving SDS capillary electrophoresis are reviewed. Since these techniques of capillary electrophoresis have been thoroughly reviewed previously, papers published in 1997 and 1998 are mainly covered.

The application of ion chromatographic method for bioavailability and stability test of iron preparations

Postabsorptive serum iron level was determined after oral administration of the compounds to human. In serum and whole blood, Fe3+ was measured by ion chromatography (IC) using a pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDCA) as an eluent. The serum sample solutions were pretreated with I N HCI and 50% TCA. The whole blood sample solutions were treated with 3 N HCI for 30 min at 125 degrees C. The limit of detection (LOD) of the IC technique is 0.2 microM for Fe2- and 0.1 microM for Fe3+. The area under concentration (AUC) can be obtained by the above analytical condition. In addition, to compare the stability of Fe2+ to that of Fe3+ in pharmaceutical preparations, accelerated stability test was carried out. After storing the samples under 40 degrees C, 75%RH in light-resistant container for various time intervals, the contents of iron of different valencies were determined separately by the IC technique and the change and/or the interchange of among those iron species in preparations was investigated. Iron raw materials are stable, but Fe2+ in Fe3+ source materials was slightly converted to Fe3+ by oxidation. Fe2+ in Fe3+ source raw materials and Fe3+ in Fe2+ raw materials are determined as impurities. Therefore, IC technique is found to be an appropriate method for comparative evaluation of dissimilar bioavailability of Fe2+ and Fe3+, stability of Fe2+ and Fe3+ raw materials and preparations.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of hemoglobin variants by capillary isoelectric focusing

We developed two capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) assays, in narrow pH gradients, with the aim of routinely separating and quantitating normal and abnormal hemoglobins (Hbs): a one-step CIEF assay where residual electroosmotic flow mobilizes the proteins during focalization, and a two-step CIEF assay where focused Hbs are mobilized by low pressure by maintaining high-voltage. The resolution of 0.10 pH unit obtained with the one-step assay allowed the separation of the Hbs A, F, S and C; but Hb A2, which represents about 2-3% of whole Hb, could not be quantitated. The better resolution of 0.02 pH unit obtained with the two-step assay allowed the separation of some Hb variants of very close isoelectric points. The reproducibility of retention times was satisfactory (C.V.<5%). Moreover, in this configuration quantitation of Hb A2, Hb F and Hb S led to a standard deviation of less than 5%, allowing the diagnosis of thalassemias. The one-step assay could be useful only for the detection of abnormal variants, while the two-step assay could be applied to the routine analysis of Hbs, with quantitation of minor fractions and presumptive identification of variants.

Metalloprotein analysis by capillary isoelectric focusing

Capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) was used to analyze three metalloproteins: conalbumin, transferrin and metallothionein (MT). Two different ampholyte mixtures were employed that generated linear pH gradients of 3-10 and 5-8. Several different proteins and one peptide with known isoelectric points (pIs) were used to establish linear relationships between peak migration time and pI. These standards were also used as internal markers to estimate peak pI values of the metalloproteins subjected to cIEF. Conalbumin (iron-free) subjected to cIEF with a pH gradient of 3-10 yielded a single major component (pI 7.17). When the protein was saturated with iron (2 Fe3+/mol protein), a shift to lower pI was observed with a major peak (pI 6.24) and a lesser peak (pI 6.09). Mixing iron-free with iron-saturated conalbumin or adding iron to iron-free conalbumin prior to cIEF produced an additional peak (pI 6.68) that was presumed to be conalbumin containing a single iron atom (monoferric form). Human transferrin subjected to cIEF with a pH range of 3-10 gave a similar separation pattern to conalbumin with four major peaks at pI values of 6.25 (apotransferrin), 5.96 (monoferric form), 5.48 and 5.34 (diferric forms). Additional resolution of the molecular forms of both conalbumin and transferrin was achieved using a narrower pH gradient (5-8). Rabbit liver MT subjected to cIEF with a pH gradient of 3-10 gave a complex separation pattern with two prominent peaks (pI values of 3.73 and 3.56) that were presumed to be the fully metal-saturated MT-1 and MT-2 isoforms. When individual MT isoforms (MT-1 and MT-2) were separately subjected to cIEF with a pH gradient of 3-10, heterogeneous peaks with higher pI values (4.12-4.74) were observed. In contrast, horse kidney MT gave a single predominant peak with a pI of 4.09. MT samples could be separated using a pH gradient of 5-8 despite the fact that their apparent pI values were below the limits of the pH gradient established. In general, the heterogeneity observed for conalbumin, transferrin and MT proteins subjected to cIEF reflects the presence or absence of bound metal. Thus, cIEF represents a potentially useful analytical method which can provide information concerning the metal-binding characteristics of these and perhaps other metalloproteins.