Identification of bull protamine disulfides

R Balhorn, M Corzett, J Mazrimas, B Watkins - Biochemistry, 1991 - ACS Publications
R Balhorn, M Corzett, J Mazrimas, B Watkins
Biochemistry, 1991ACS Publications
Rod Balhorn,** Michele Corzett, Joe Mazrimas, and Bruce Watkins Biomedical Sciences
Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 Received
May 25, 1990; Revised Manuscript Received August 30, 1990 abstract: We have identified
the disulfide cross-links in bull protamine by titrating intact bull sperm with dithiothreitol
(DTT) and following the modification of each cysteine residue with tritiated iodoacetate. The
derivatization of each cysteine was monitored by a combination of HPLC, peptide mapping …
Rod Balhorn,** Michele Corzett, Joe Mazrimas, and Bruce Watkins Biomedical Sciences Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 Received May 25, 1990; Revised Manuscript Received August 30, 1990 abstract: We have identified the disulfide cross-links in bull protamine by titrating intact bull sperm with dithiothreitol (DTT) and following the modification of each cysteine residue with tritiated iodoacetate. The derivatization of each cysteine was monitored by a combination of HPLC, peptide mapping, and protein sequencing. Analyses of total free sulfhydryls show that all seven of the bull protamine cysteines are cross-linked as disulfides in mature sperm. The first disulfide is reduced at a DTT: protamine cysteine (DTT: Cys) ratio of 0.3 and the last at a ratio of 2.0. Intra-and intermolecular disulfides were identified by correlating the reduction of specific disulfides with the dissociation of protamine from DNA in partially reduced sperm and sperm treated with 7V, 7V-ethylenedimaleimide, a bifunctional disulfide cross-linking agent. Three intermolecular and two intramolecular disulfides were identified. Theresults of these experiments demonstrate that the amino-and carboxy-terminal ends of the bull protamine molecule are folded inward toward the center of the molecule and are locked in place, each by a single intramolecular disulfide bridge. Three intermolecular disulfides cross-link neighboring protamine molecules around the DNA helix in such a manner that the protamines cannot be dissociated from DNA without first reducing the interprotamine disulfides.
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