Iminobiotin affinity columns and their application to retrieval of streptavidin

A method is described for the retrieval of streptavidin from the culture broth of Streptomyces avidinii. The key step in this procedure is the adsorption of streptavidin from culture concentrates to an affinity column in which iminobiotin is attached to AH-Sepharose 4B. This column binds streptavbidin at pH 11 and releases the protein at pH 4. The recovery of streptavidin is practically quantitative. The pH dependence of the iminobiotin-avidin affinity, discovered by Green [Green, N. M. (1966) Biochem. J. 101, 774-779], has thus found practical application. The streptavidin bound 4.07 +/- 0.02 mol of [14C]biotin per mol and was essentially homogeneous as judged by disc and slab gel electrophoresis. Streptavidin was extensively succinoylated without loss of biotin-binding capacity. The observations that 125I-labeled streptavidin and 125I-labeled succinoylstreptavidin are retained by iminobiotin-AH-Sepharose 4B columns at pH 7.5 and are eluted at pH 4.0 provides a convenient purification method for these iodinated proteins. The technique employed for the retrieval of streptavidin is generally applicable to the isolation of iminobiotinylated molecules.