The phosphorus components of solubilized erythrocyte membrane protein.

Abstract

Membrane protein preparations were obtained by n-butanol extraction of salt-free aqueous suspensions of human erythrocyte ghosts. The solubilized protein contained 4.5% carbohydrate, including glucosamine and galactosamine, 1.7% sialic acid, and 0.2% phosphorus. Gel electrophoresis indicated the presence of a large number of proteins in the solubilized fraction. Of the phosphorus present 15% could be extracted with chloroform–methanol (2/1) and was shown to consist of phosphatidylserine and some phosphatidylinositol. A further 65% of the phosphorus was extracted with chloroform–methanol–HCl (200/100/1) and this extract was shown to consist principally of diphosphoinositide and triphosphoinositide. The remaining protein-bound phosphorus, representing 0.03% of the protein, could not be separated from the protein. Following treatment with the organic solvents the protein was resolubilized. The carbohydrate and sialic acid concentrations and the gel electrophoretic pattern were not altered. Following incubation of erythrocytes with inorganic 32P, the polyphosphoinositides were rapidly labelled. The phosphoprotein was also rapidly labelled but to a lesser extent. The phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine were very poorly labelled.