Separation and characterization of the subunits of the laminin of EHS sarcoma

A rapid and sensitive method was developed for the preparative separation of laminin subunits. Laminin was extracted and purified from mouse EHS sarcoma. On SDS-PAGE, the reduced and carboxymethylated molecule separated into two components corresponding to molecular weights of about 400 KDa (subunit A) and 200 KDa (subunit B). These two subunits were preparatively separated using heparin-agarose affinity chromatography. The larger subunit quantitatively adhered to the affinity column while the smaller one did not adhere. Amino acid analyses of the separated subunits showed distinct differences. Subunit B was further resolved into two distinct polypeptides of 200 KDa, B1 and B2, by means of reverse-phase HPLC. Although the amino acid compositions of B1 and B2 were very similar, the peptide maps generated by digestion of the B1 and B2 chains with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease or by cyanogen bromide showed B1 and B2 to differ from each other. Thus, at least three different polypeptide subunits are present in this laminin and probably arise from separate gene origins. These studies provide a basis for the subsequent localization and analysis of the specialized structural and functional domains of laminin.