Extraction and partial purification of the nucleoside-transport system from human erythrocytes based on the assay of nitrobenzylthioinosine-binding activity.

Nitrobenzylthioinosine, a potent nucleoside-transport inhibitor, binds to high-affinity sites on the human erythrocyte membrane. This binding is a specific interaction with functional nucleoside-transport sites. The protein(s) responsible for high-affinity nitrobenzylthioinosine binding was purified 13-fold by treatment of haemoglobin-free 'ghosts' with EDTA (pH 11.2) to remove extrinsic proteins, extraction of the protein-depleted membranes with Triton X-100 and passage of the soluble extract through a DEAE-cellulose column equilibrated with Triton X-100. Void-volume fractions were collected and treated with Bio-Beads SM-2 to remove detergent. These fractions contained 31% of the starting nitrobenzylthioinosine-binding activity. They also contained D-glucose-sensitive cytochalasin B-binding activity. Nitrobenzylthioinosine binding to the partially purified preparation was saturable (apparent Kd 1.6 nM) and inhibited by nitrobenzylthioguanosine, dipyridamole and uridine. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of pooled void-volume fractions revealed the presence of only two detectable protein bands, the broad zone 4.5 (containing glucose-transport protein) and a small amount of band 7.