Four immunoglobulin G1 class monoclonal antibodies (mAbs; 1D5, 1D9, 2B11, and 2H11) were produced against recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-II (rhIGF-II). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay established that these four mAbs specifically recognized rhIGF-II and hIGF-II, but not rhIGF-I. mAbs 1D5, 1D9, and 2H11 did not cross-react with mouse rIGF-II, although there are only six amino acid differences between mouse IGF-II and human IGF-II. The epitope for each mAb was partially defined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using mouse-human chimera IGF-II mutants and other IGF-II mutants that were prepared by site-directed mutagenic procedures. These results indicated that the epitopes of mAbs 1D5, 1D9, and 2H11 are in the C-domain of hIGF-II around Ala32 to Ser36, and that of 2B11 is in the carboxyl-terminal end of the B- and A-domains of hIGF-II. A specific and sensitive RIA was developed using mAb 2H11. In this RIA, IGF-II variant ([RLPG/S29]IGF-II) and rhIGF-II competed equally with [125I]IGF-II for binding to mAb 2H11. Similar results were produced when mAbs 1D5, 1D9, and 2B11 substituted for 2H11. The potential usefulness of mAb 2H11 in an immunoblot procedure to characterize the heterogeneity of IGF-II in the sera and tumor tissues of patients with nonislet cell tumor hypoglycemia was evaluated. A procedure that combined acid-ethanol extraction of serum or tumor tissues and immunoaffinity concentration of the extracted IGF-II with mAb 2H11-immobilized resin was found to be an effective way to prepare the samples. In Western immunoblots, a quantity of rhIGF-II as low as 3 ng could be identified, whereas 200 ng rhIGF-I or rat IGF-II were not recognized. The levels of IGF-II in the sera of 12 patients with nonislet cell tumor hypoglycemia varied from normal to about twice normal. The mol wt (M(r)) of this IGF-II was between 10-17K. There was little of the processed 7.5K M(r) IGF-II in the sera of these patients. Finally, the source of the high M(r) forms of IGF-II was the tumor, because the ratios of high M(r) forms of IGF-II to 7.5K IGF-II changed dramatically from 99:1 and 91:9 to 4:96 and 32:68 in two patients after successful excision of their tumors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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SummaryIn order to elucidate the role of protein C (PC) in the rat, we expressed, purified, and characterized recombinant rat PC. The purified recombinant rat PC was 70–90% two-chain (41 kDa heavy chain; 22 and 23 kDa light chain) and 10–30% single-chain (61 kDa). Amino acid analysis confirmed the presence of 10 moles of γ-carboxyglutamic acid residues per mol of protein. For comparison, plasma rat PC was purified from a barium citrate precipitate using similar method. Plasma rat PC was a two-chain form (41 kDa heavy chain; 22 kDa light chain) with no detectable single-chain nor 23 kDa light chain. For determination of the in vitro secreted species, primary cultured rat hepatocytes were incubated for 6 h with methionine-free MEM containing vitamin K1, aprotinin, and [35S]methionine. The supernatant was immunoprecipitated and analyzed by SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography. Approximately 90% of the PC radioactivity migrated as a two-chain molecule. These results indicate that rat PC is secreted mainly as a two-chain molecule from the liver. PROTAC-activated forms of recombinant rat PC, plasma rat PC, and plasma human PC hydrolyzed the S-2366 chromogenic substrate at the same rate Recombinant rat PC was also activated by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex at a rate similar to plasma lat PC. The anticoagulant activities of the three activated PCs were examined in rat plasma. Both recombinant and plasma rat PC prolonged the activated partial thromboplastin time in a dose-dependent manner, but plasma human PC was less effective. These results suggest that recombinant rat PC is applicable for in vivo thrombosis studies in the rat.

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