Isolation and characterization of the basic proline-rich proteins from rat parotid saliva

Abstract

Five fractions of basic proline-rich proteins were isolated from rat parotid saliva, obtained by surgical cannulation of the ducts. The purification procedures employed DEAE-Sephadex to isolate a heterogeneous break-through fraction containing the basic proline-rich proteins, followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 to separate the high molecular weight glycoprotein, fraction A, from the other basic proline-rich proteins which were resolved into four additional fractions, SP-1 to SP-4, by ion exchange chromatography on SP-Sephadex. The proteins differed in their amino acid composition and content of neutral and amino sugars. All the proteins were characterized by a high proportion of proline (approx. 40 mol per cent) and glycine (11–23 mol per cent). Four of the fractions were also enriched in glutamic acid glutamine (19–26 mol per cent). The exception was fraction SP-4, which contained lower levels of glutamic acid glutamine and has no counterpart in human basic proline-rich proteins. Fraction A, the basic glycoprotein, was heavily glycosylated (59 mol per cent), whereas SP-2 and SP-4 were less glycosylated. Fractions SP-1 and SP-3 contained low levels of neutral and amino sugars. Basic proline-rich proteins constitute a smaller percentage of the total protein in rat parotid saliva than they do in human parotid saliva (10.5 versus 40 per cent). Rat basic glycoprotein fraction constitutes less than 1 per cent whereas the human glycoprotein fraction constitutes 17 per cent. Rat basic proline-rich proteins appear to be larger and less basic than most of the human basic proteins, and they resolve into fewer protein fractions (4 versus 9) with SP-Sephadex chromatography.