Protein heterogeneity of lipoprotein particles containing apolipoprotein A-I without apolipoprotein A-II and apolipoprotein A-I with apolipoprotein A-II isolated from human plasma.

The protein heterogeneity of fractions isolated by immunoaffinity chromatography on anti-apolipoprotein A-I and anti-apolipoprotein A-II affinity columns was analyzed by high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The two-dimensional gel electrophoresis profiles of the fractions were analyzed and automatically compared by the computer system MELANIE. Fractions containing apolipoproteins A-I + A-II and only A-I as the major protein components have been isolated from plasma and from high density lipoproteins prepared by ultracentrifugation. Similarities between the profiles of the fractions, as indicated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, suggested that those derived from plasma were equivalent to those from high density lipoproteins (HDL), which are particulate in nature. The established apolipoproteins (A-I, A-II, A-IV, C, D, and E) were visible and enriched in fractions from both plasma and HDL. However, plasma-derived fractions showed a much greater degree of protein heterogeneity due largely to enrichment in bands corresponding to six additional proteins. They were present in trace amounts in fractions isolated from HDL and certain of the proteins were visible in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis profiles of the plasma. These proteins are considered to be specifically associated with the immunoaffinity-isolated particles. They have been characterized in terms of Mr and pI. Computer-assisted measurements of protein spot-staining intensities suggest an asymmetric distribution of the proteins (as well as the established apolipoproteins), with four showing greater prominence in particles containing apolipoprotein A-I but no apolipoprotein A-II.