Characterization of a ribonuclease from bovine brain

An alkaline ribonuclease (pH optimum near 8) has been purified from whole beef brains and found to have a base specificity like that of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease, but in most other respects to be distinguishable from the enzymes of bovine pancreas, semen, or brain nuclei. The preparation appears homogeneous in sedimentation equilibrium and probably so in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under normal or dissociating conditions. Sedimentation equilibrium and SDS gel electrophoresis both indicate a molecular weight of 2.4-2.6 times 10-4, and tryptic and chymotrypic peptide patterns are consistent with a protein of this size. No dissociation into subunits has been attained. The enzyme is not precipitated by antiserum to pancreatic ribonuclease, although its activity is inhibited by this antiserum with low efficiency. In comparisons of the hydrolysis of RNA the brain enzyme was found to have a similar specificity to pancreatic RNase, but to have a loser Km for RNA and to produce significantly different oligonucleotides upon partial hydrolysis of bacteriophage RNA, suggesting differences in the mechanism of substrate recognition. In contrast, nuclease inactivation by iodoacetate at pH 5.5 is indistinguishable for pancreatic or purified brain RNase.