Study of pro-nucleating activity and structure of sugar chain on 33.5 kDa vesicular protein in bile from normal persons and cholesterol gallstone patients

Abstract

Objective To compare the pro-nucleating activities and analyze the similarity and difference of the structure of the sugar chain on 33.5-kilodalton(kDa)vesicular protein extracted from fresh native bile in different persons.Methods The 33.5 kDa vesicular protein was compared for promoting activities with a sensitive cholesterol crystal growth assay and detected by Western blot method.Results The average nucleation time(NT)tested by Holan technique of the 33.5 kDa vesicular protein from cholesterol gallstone patients was 3.75±0.66 days,the pro-nucleating activity was 0.303.But the 33.5 kDa vesicular protein from normal person was weakly to nucleate,the average nucleation time(NT)was 8.38±0.86 days,and the pro-nucleating activity was only 0.677.The Analytical results manifested that the number of the antennas in sugar chain of the 33.5 kDa vesicular protein was the main difference between cholesterol gallstone patients and healthy persons.Conclusion The pro-nucleating activity alteration of the vesicular protein may correspond closely with the increase of the number of the antennas in sugar chain on the 33.5 kDa vesicular protein when the normal bile transforms to pathological bile. Key words: Cholelithiasis; Sugar chain; Pro-nucleation protein; Lectin; Pro-nucleating