title: A GAP-43-like protein in cat visual cortex.
abstract: We have purified a protein that changes in relative concentration during the development of the kitten visual cortex. It resembles GAP-43 (a neuronal protein that is expressed at elevated levels during periods of development and regenerative axon growth) in the following respects: (1) it is an acidic protein (pI = 4.7) whose electrophoretic mobility on SDS-PAGE is similar to, but lower than rat GAP-43, suggesting that the cat protein is larger; (2) its electrophoretic mobility varies with the acrylamide concentration in a manner that is characteristic of GAP-43; (3) its concentration in kitten forebrain is elevated during early postnatal development; (4) the sequence of ten consecutive amino acids from a chemically generated fragment matches the expected sequence from GAP-43; and (5) its amino-acid content also matches GAP-43. We conclude that our purified protein is cat GAP-43. Immunoblots with an antibody prepared against rat GAP-43 suggested that the concentration of GAP-43 in the visual cortex declines with age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McIntosh
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parkinson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meiri
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Daw
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Willard
mesh_terms: D020106:Acrylamide; D000178:Acrylamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000178:Acrylamides; D000596:Amino Acids; D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D006133:Growth Substances; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020106:Acrylamide