title: GTP-blot analysis of small GTP-binding proteins. The C-terminus is involved in renaturation of blotted proteins.
abstract: Recombinant c-Ha-ras, ralA and rap2, but not rap1A or rap1B proteins retained their ability to bind [alpha-32P]GTP after SDS/PAGE and transfer to nitrocellulose. Recombinant c-Has-ras missing the C-terminal 23 amino acid residues failed to bind [alpha-32P]GTP after the blot, and the ability of recombinant ralA missing the C-terminal 28 amino acid residues to bind [alpha-32P]GTP was decreased many-fold. The presence of nonionic detergents of the polyoxyethylene type such as Tween 20, Triton X-100, Nonidet P40 or Lubrol PX in the incubation buffer was necessary to induce renaturation of blotted recombinant c-Ha-ras protein, whereas other types of detergents were ineffective. We propose that detergents of the polyoxyethylene type induce the refolding of some types of blotted small GTP-binding proteins and that the C-terminus is involved in the refolding process. Membranes from NIH3T3 fibroblasts overexpressing c-Ha-ras protein showed much weaker binding of [alpha-32P]GTP as expected from the level of ras immunoreactivity. Treatment of fibroblasts with lovastatin, an inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, caused the accumulation of the unfarnesylated form of c-Ha-ras in the cytosol. Examination of [alpha-32P]GTP-binding and immunoreactivity for cytosolic and membrane-bound c-Ha-ras revealed that binding of [alpha-32P]GTP to unprocessed c-Ha-ras was increased about threefold compared to the same amount of processed c-Ha-ras. Our results demonstrate that detection and quantification of small GTP-binding proteins in eukaryotic cells by GTP-blot analysis is hampered by the fact that these proteins differ strongly in their ability to renature after blotting to nitrocellulose.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pharmakologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Klinz
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D003902:Detergents; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011905:Genes, ras; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D010761:Phosphorus Radioisotopes; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents; D010761:Phosphorus Radioisotopes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; C501009:HRAS protein, human; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)