Improved preparation of the integral membrane proteins of human red cells, with special reference to the glucose transporter

Abstract Human red cell membranes were isolated and partially stripped of peripheral proteins by gel filtration of hemolysates on a Sepharose CL-4B column at pH 8 connected in tandem to a Sepharose CL-6B column at pH 10.5. The eluted material was washed by centrifugations, once at pH 10.5 and twice at pH 12. In this way, water-soluble proteins and peripheral membrane proteins were thoroughly removed, and 0.2 g of integral membrane proteins could be prepared within 10 h from 0.2 litre of red cells. The exposure to high pH did not lower the d -glucose transport activity, and electrophoretically pure glucose transport protein could be isolated from this preparation. Gel filtration in sodium dodecyl sulfate separated the integral membrane components into four fractions, one of them containing 4.5-material; gel electrophoresis showed about 14 zones and two-dimensional electrophoresis resolved up to 100 mostly minor components, among which the glucose transporter focused around pH 7. However, purified glucose transporter focused around pH 8. Glucose and nucleoside transport proteins were co-purified in active form on DEAE-cellulose and a fraction isolated by adsorption to Mono Q was used for immunization of mice and production of monoclonal antibodies. One hybridoma produced antibodies that reacted with material in the 4.5-region, possibly the glucose transport protein, and not with band 3-material. Upon two-dimensional electrophoresis of integral membrane components that had been solubilized with octyl glucoside the immunoreactive and the silver-stained 4.5-material focused in a broad range from pH 6 to pH 9. A possible explanation for this heterogeneity might be interaction between the glucose and nucleoside transport proteins and negatively charged lipids.