Immunogenicity of the apoprotein of the bile lipoprotein complex

Abstract

We explored the possibility that the biliary protein fraction may support part of the variation in the nucleating activity previously measured in gallbladder biles of pigs. Eighteen gallbladder aspirates freshly obtained from three dietary groups (0, 5, or 10% β-cyclodextrin) of six pigs were chromatographed to purify their total protein fraction. Proteins were quantified, and analysed through electrophoresis and immunoblotting or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for albumin, and five putative effectors of cholesterol crystallisation, mucins, immunoglobulin A, 130 kDa, apolipoprotein A-I, and anionic polypeptide fraction. Each total protein fraction was also assayed for its ability to influence cholesterol precipitation, when added to supersaturated model bile. The current data provided evidence that the cholesterol crystallisation-promoting activity of biliary proteins in model biles increased with the β-cyclodextrin dietary content. This occurred without any significant change in the total biliary protein content, but was associated with a significant decrease in the concentration of albumin and apolipoprotein A-I, resulting in changes in the overall balance of proteins in bile. Comparison of these results with the crystallisation figures previously obtained from the corresponding native biles led us to conclude that biliary proteins might influence the outcome of the crystallisation process, namely the final crystal concentration at equilibrium, but would not systematically represent a major driving force for determining the velocity of crystal formation in native bile of pigs.