The state of aggregation of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) beta-lactoglobulin preparations near neutral pH.

1. The state of aggregation of four red-deer (Cervus elaphus L.) beta-lactoglobulin preparations and a control ox beta-lactoglobulin A preparation was studied by sedimentation-equilibrium experiments at pH 6.5 and 20 degrees C. 2. Three of the deer preparations and the ox control each behaved as a monomer-dimer system, with a value of log K (where K is the association constant in litres/mol) in the range 5.4-5.5. 3. When one of these deer preparations was examined in the presence of dithiothreitol, log K appeared to decrease to 4.5.4. One deer preparation, comprising recovered material, appeared to have undergone irreversible changes and to behave like a non-equilibrating system containing monomer, dimer and trimer. 5. The sedimentation-equilibrium properties of the deer monomer was studied in 6M-guanidine hydrochloride at pH 7.0; the mol.wt. was 17600, the second virial coefficient was 3.4 x 10(-3) ml - mol - g-2, and the apparent partial specific volume 0.724 ml/g, a value indicating an appreciable decrease in volume on dissociation and denaturation.