Topography of human plasma alpha1-acid glycoprotein

Human plasma alpha1-acid glycoprotein, whose linear amino acid sequence has recently been elucidated (Schmid et al. (1973), Biochemistry 12, 2711), was further investigated with regard to its topography. Nitration of this protein and subsequent elucidation of the structures of the peptides containing modified tyrosine indicated that residues 27, 37, 78, 115, 127, and 157 are free, 50 and 91 are in an intermediate state, and 65, 74, 110, and 142 are buried. CD measurements between pH 10 and 12 demonstrated that the buried tyrosines are strongly hydrogen bonded and are probably responsible to a considerable extent for the stability of this protein. Of the three tryptophans of this protein, residue 122 proved to be partially reactive with Koshland reagent while the other two (25 and 160) were found to be unreactive. The state of the two disulfide bonds, established by differential reduction and alkylation with specific reagents, was shown to be of an intermediate type. Using carboxymethylation with bromoacetate at pH 7.0 for 8 days, the three histidines (97, 100, and 171) and methionine 111 could be shown to be in intermediate states. All lysines were treated with trinitrobenzenesulfonate and thus were assumed to be free. Of the 40 carboxylic groups, which were amidated with glycine methyl ester, 32 including the 14 sialyl residues were found to be free, six in an intermediate and the remaining two in a buried state. The present study describes the states of almost half of the amino acid residues of alpha1-acid glycoprotein, a knowledge important for the construction of a preliminary three-dimensional model of this conjugated protein.