The adsorption of proteins and protein--dodecyl sulphate complexes on N-(3-carboxypropionyl)aminodecyl-Sepharose.

Equilibrium and kinetic aspects of the binding of several proteins to N-(3-carboxypropionyl)aminodecyl-Sepharose, an amphiphilic ampholytic adsorbent, were studied at 22 degrees C, pH 7.0, I 0.10--0.12. In the absence of detergents Scatchard plots are linear for human haemoglobin and soya-bean trypsin inhibitor, but non-linear for bovine serum albumin, which is also adsorbed more tightly than the other two proteins. The introduction [corrected] of 3.5mM-sodium dodecyl sulphate causes dramatic increases in the amounts and affinities of serum albumin and haemoglobin adsorbed, but has relatively little effect on the trypsin inhibitor. At concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulphate greater than about 10mM there is a fall in the binding of all proteins, owing to competition from the detergent for binding sites on the adsorbent, and a tendency towards more uniform behaviour by different proteins. Kinetic experiments suggest that in the absence of the detergent haemoglobin and serum albumin are adsorbed initially by mainly ionic forces, but that subsequently hydrophobic forces become dominant. Addition of 3.5 mM-sodium dodecyl sulphate causes pronounced changes in the time course of adsorption of haemoglobin and serum albumin, the nature of the changes being different for each protein. The significance of these results is discussed.