title: Elevated levels of serum alpha(2) macroglobulin in wild black bears during hibernation.
abstract: Bear serum alpha(2) macroglobulin (alpha(2)M) was purified by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and partially characterized by tryptic digestion of alpha(2)M and analysis of the peptides by peptide mass fingerprinting. The molecular weight of bear serum alpha(2)M was 181 kDa, same as for human serum alpha(2)M, on SDS-PAGE. However, the MALDI mass spectrum of the tryptic digested bear serum alpha(2)M showed that it is different from human alpha(2)M or other data bank proteins. Liquid chromatography (LC)/mass spectrometry (MS)/MS of the proteolytic products of bear serum alpha(2)M showed eight peptides that had similarities to human alpha(2)M suggesting that the protein of interest was indeed alpha(2)M of bear. The polyclonal antibody against bear serum alpha(2)M recognized only one protein from the western blot of bear serum proteins. It also recognized human alpha(2)M. The levels of serum alpha(2)M were significantly increased during hibernating state as compared to active state of bears indicating its protective role from the consequences of the metabolic depression during hibernation.
authors.affiliation: NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, New York State, NY 10314, USA.
authors.forename: Ashfaq M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: Ved
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tsiouris
authors.forename: Pankaj D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Kelcey
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Burguess
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Fenko
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Spivack
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.forename: Mazhar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006605:Hibernation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D001503:Ursidae; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins