Isolation of two molecular populations of human complement factor H by hydrophobic affinity chromatography

Human complement factor H was prepared in highly purified form from fresh serum by euglobulin precipitation, DEAE-Sephacel chromatography and Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration. This preparation allowed the recovery of 37% of the initial factor H. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis revealed that factor H was homogeneous both in reduced and non-reduced media and exhibited a molecular mass of 150 kDa. Charge-shift experiments clearly showed the presence of hydrophobic sites in the factor H molecule. Charge shifts were observed with two detergent systems (Triton/sodium deoxycholate and Triton/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide). Factor H was able to bind to phenyl-Sepharose. This property allowed us to study two populations of factor H. These two populations exhibited the same physicochemical parameters, but revealed differences in their ability to aggregate in low- and iso-ionic-strength media. The molecular basis and biological significance of this heterogeneity are discussed.