Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.21.1 (chymotrypsin)
 10,938 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Studies from several laboratories have suggested that laminin contains at least two domains that selectively mediate cell type-specific behavior. In this study, two proteolytic fragments of laminin are evaluated for their ability to interact with three different populations of embryonic chicken cells. A 600 kDa thrombin fragment, derived from the central portion of the laminin molecule, supports attachment of dorsal root ganglion (DRG), spinal cord (SC), and heart cells. Neurons from both DRGs and SCs extend neurites in response to this fragment. Quantitatively, both cell adhesion and neurite extension on the 600 kDa fragment are comparable to these responses to intact laminin. A 440 kDa chymotrypsin fragment, derived from either intact laminin or the 600 kDa fragment, does not support equivalent responses. Fewer DRG cells attach to this fragment and neurites are shorter than on the 600 kDa fragment. Heart and SC cell attachment is also reduced in comparison with activity of the 600 kDa fragment, and SC neurites do not form on the 440 kDa fragment. These results suggest that there are at least two cell binding domains in the laminin molecule, one with which a variety of cell types can interact and another that may mediate more restricted cellular responses. The latter site appears to be relatively inactive for SC and heart cell adhesion but supports limited attachment and neurite extension by DRG neurons.
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PMID:Cell adhesion and neurite extension in response to two proteolytic fragments of laminin. 321 26

Monoclonal antibodies were utilized to localize novel heparin-binding domains of laminin. A solid-phase radioligand binding assay was designed such that [3H] heparin bound to laminin in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Tritiated heparin binding to laminin was saturable and specific as determined by competition with unlabeled heparin, dextran sulfate, and dermatan sulfate. By Scatchard analysis, two distinct dissociation constants were calculated (Kd = 50 and 130 nM), suggesting the presence of at least two binding sites for heparin on laminin. Tritiated heparin bound to thrombin-resistant (600 kDa) and chymotrypsin-resistant (440 kDa) laminin fragments, both known to lack the terminal globular domain of the long arm. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels of chymotrypsin- and thermolysin-digested laminin chromatographed on a heparin-Sepharose column showed multiple proteolytic fragments binding to the column. Monoclonal antibodies generated against laminin were tested for their ability to inhibit [3H]heparin binding to laminin. Four monoclonal antibodies significantly inhibited the binding of [3H]heparin to laminin in the range of 15-21% inhibition. Laminin-monoclonal antibody interactions examined by electron microscopy showed that one antibody reacted at the terminal globular domain of the long arm, domain Hep-1, while epitopes for two of these monoclonal antibodies were located on the lateral arms of laminin, domain Hep-2, and the fourth monoclonal antibody bound below the cross-region of laminin, domain Hep-3. When two monoclonal antibodies recognizing distinctly different regions of laminin were added concomitantly, the inhibition of [3H]heparin binding to laminin increased almost 2-fold. These results suggest that at least two novel heparin-binding domains of laminin may be located in domains distinct from the terminal globular domain of the long arm.
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PMID:Localization of three distinct heparin-binding domains of laminin by monoclonal antibodies. 335 Aug 14

Polypeptides of Mr = 190,000-220,000 that cross-react with erythrocyte ankyrin were detected in immunoblots of membranes from pig lens, pig brain, and rat liver. The cross-reacting polypeptides from brain were cleaved by chymotrypsin to fragments of Mr = 95,000 and 72,000 which are the same size as fragments obtained with erythrocyte ankyrin. The brain 72,000 Mr fragment associated with erythrocyte spectrin, and the binding occurred at the same site as that of erythrocyte ankyrin 72,000 Mr fragment since (a) brain 72,000 Mr fragment was adsorbed to erythrocyte spectrin-agarose and (b) 125I-labeled erythrocyte spectrin bound to brain 72,000 Mr fragment following transfer of the fragment from a sodium dodecyl sulfate gel to nitrocellulose paper, and this binding was displaced by erythrocyte ankyrin 72,000 Mr fragment. Brain 72,000 Mr fragment was purified about 400-fold by selective extraction and by continuous chromatography on columns attached in series containing DEAE-cellulose followed by erythrocyte spectrin coupled to agarose, and finally hydroxylapatite. The brain 72,000 Mr fragment was not derived from contaminating erythrocytes since peptide maps of pig brain and pig erythrocyte 72,000 Mr fragments were distinct. The amount of brain 72,000 Mr fragment was estimated as 0.28% of membrane protein or 39 pmol/mg based on radioimmunoassay with 125I-labeled brain fragment and antibody against erythrocyte ankyrin. Brain spectrin tetramer was present in about the same number of copies (30 pmol/mg of membrane protein) based on densitometry of Coomassie blue-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. The binding site on brain spectrin for both brain and erythrocyte ankyrin 72,000 Mr fragments was localized by electron microscopy to the midregion of spectrin tetramers about 90 nM from the near end and 110 nM from the far end. These studies demonstrate the presence in brain membranes of a protein closely related to erythrocyte ankyrin, and are consistent with a function of the brain ankyrin as a membrane attachment site for brain spectrin.
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PMID:Brain ankyrin. Purification of a 72,000 Mr spectrin-binding domain. 622 40