The 48 kDa Ca2+-binding protein of bovine brain

A Ca2+-binding protein of molecular mass 48 kDa and named 'CAB-48' has been purified from bovine brain 100,000 g supernatant. About 30 mg of CAB-48 was purified from 1 kg of bovine brain. The protein has been characterized with respect to its physical, chemical and Ca2+-binding properties. It has an apparent molecular mass of 48 kDa by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis and 75.2 kDa from sedimentation-velocity and Stokes-radius data. The acidic nature of the molecule is suggested by its pI of 4.7. In the presence of 3.0 mM-MgCl2 and 150 mM-KCl, CAB-48 binds 1.0 mol of Ca2+/mol of protein with an apparent Kd of 15 microM. A tyrosine protein kinase partially purified from rat spleen catalysed the incorporation of 0.73 mol of phosphate/mol of CAB-48, and phosphoamino acid analysis revealed that phosphorylation of CAB-48 was specific for tyrosine residues.