Oligomeric structure of bAE3 protein

The "brain" form of the anion exchanger protein 3 (bAE3) has been purified to homogeneity from the rabbit kidney by differential centrifugation and immunoaffinity chromatography. A single protein band of approximately 165 kDa was detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. Monomers, dimers (a major component), and a higher oligomeric form (apparently tetramers) were found after oxidative cross-linking of purified bAE3. The largest form of bAE3 was separated from dimers and monomers by sucrose gradient centrifugation and was studied by transmission electron microscopy to confirm a tetrameric structure. Two main types of bAE3 images were detected, round (approximately 11-14 nm) and square-shaped (approximately 12 x 12 nm). Image analysis revealed fourfold rotational symmetry of both the round and square-shaped images, indicating that bAE3 consists of multiples of 4 subunits. We conclude that bAE3 in Triton X-100 solution is predominantly a mixture of dimers and tetramers with a smaller amount of monomers.