Calmodulin-binding proteins: visualization by 125I-calmodulin overlay on blots quenched with Tween 20 or bovine serum albumin and poly(ethylene oxide).

To streamline detection of calmodulin-binding proteins, blotting techniques for the electrophoretic transfer of proteins onto nitrocellulose filters, followed by overlay with 125I-calmodulin, have been adapted. Autoradiography of the 125I-calmodulin-labeled blots allows the identification and quantitation of proteins that possess affinity for calmodulin. Five protocols for suppressing nonspecific binding and for enhancing specific interactions of 125I-calmodulin with electrophoretically separated proteins were investigated. Tween 20 and bovine serum albumin alone, as well as combinations of bovine serum albumin and poly(ethylene oxide) or hemoglobin and gelatin, were evaluated as quenching and enhancing agents. Tween 20 proved highly effective for quenching nonspecific binding and for enhancing specific 125I-calmodulin binding of a 61,000-Mr rat brain protein, which was only faintly observed on blots quenched with proteins alone. However, Tween 20 dissociated 50% of 68,000-Mr proteins and 80% of 21,000-Mr 125I-labeled protein standards from the nitrocellulose filter. An alternative, the combination of bovine serum albumin followed by incubation with 15,000- to 20,000-Mr poly(ethylene oxide), proved satisfactory for the recovery of 61,000-Mr calmodulin-binding activity and for the detection of calmodulin-binding peptides (50,000 to 14,000 Mr) produced by limited proteolysis of rat brain 51,000-Mr calmodulin-binding protein. These blotting procedures for detection of calmodulin-binding proteins are compatible with a variety of one-dimensional and two-dimensional electrophoresis systems, including a two-dimensional electrophoresis system utilizing urea and sodium dodecyl sulfate in the first dimension and nonurea sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis in the second, a system which proved useful for resolving calmodulin-binding proteins displaying anomalous electrophoretic migration in the presence of urea.