Analysis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and 2-dimensional electrophoresis of haptoglobin in the high-density lipoprotein fraction in cows.

Abstract

Haptoglobin (Hp) is a hemoglobin (Hb)-binding acute-phase protein. Besides its relevance in inflammation, Hp is involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism. In cattle, in addition to the lipoprotein-deficient fraction, Hp is distributed in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and very high-density lipoprotein (VHDL) fractions. The purpose of this study was to determine Hp concentrations in the lipoprotein fractions using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the affinity with Hb, and also to detect structural differences of HDL Hp from that in the lipoprotein-deficient fraction using 2-dimensional electrophoresis. When purified Hp was used as the antigen for the ELISA, the detection limit was 7.4 ng/ml and linearity was obtained from 14.8 to 475 ng/ml. The correlation coefficient between the ELISA and single radial immunodiffusion was 0.884. The ELISA was shown to be applicable to evaluate Hp concentrations in the lipoprotein fractions. Hp concentrations in the lipoprotein fractions were in the range of 0.94 to 8.77 microg of Hp/ml (n = 4), and concentration ratios were 0.2 to 0.3% of whole serum Hp. Of the lipoprotein fractions, Hp was most abundant in HDL, moderate in VHDL and faint in chylomicrons, the very low-density lipoprotein fraction and low-density lipoprotein fraction. By 2-dimensional electrophoresis, alpha- and beta-chains of serum Hp were each separated into 5 spots, and their isoelectric point (pI) values were from 5.05 to 6.28 in the alpha-chain and from 5.92 to 6.95 in the beta-chain. The pI values of HDL Hp were indistinguishable from those of serum Hp. These results indicate that the ELISA based on the affinity with Hb is useful for evaluating Hp concentrations in lipoprotein fractions, and also suggest that HDL Hp is structurally similar to that in the lipoprotein-deficient fraction.