Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

High-Resolution Quantitative Immunogold Analysis of Membrane Receptors at Retinal Ribbon Synapses
Published on: February 18, 2016
In vitro penicillamine competition for protein-bound gold(I)
Abstract:
The reactions of penicillamine with gold sodium thiomalate (Myochrysine), gold-albumin complexes, and gold bound to urinary and kidney cytosolic proteins were examined. Large excesses of penicillamine (20 to 100:1 penicillamine/gold ratios) are required to mobilize significant amounts of protein bound gold. Quantitative comparisons of cysteine and penicillamine displacements of serum albumin bound gold indicate that penicillamine is approximately 5-6 times more effective than cysteine. Urinary gold is observed to be present in low molecular weight and protein bound forms, which exist in a labile chemical equilibrium and can be shifted by addition of penicillamine. These results are discussed in terms of the structure of gold(I)-penicillamine complexes and the distribution of gold(I) among protein and nonprotein thiol groups. The inappropriateness of using AuCl4- in vitro to study the biochemistry of chrysotherapy agents is delineated.
Related Concept Videos
Immunoprecipitation
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
Chromatin immunoprecipitation, also known as ChIP, is used to study protein-DNA or...
Immunogold Electron Microscopy
Production of Antibiotics

