Evidence for two species of elongation factor 1 (EF IA and EF 1B) from calf brain has been obtained by molecular sieve chromatography on Sephadex G-150.-A high molecular weight form, EF IAS interacts with GTP to form an EF 1A-GTP complex. GDP also reacts with EF 1, but unlike the reaction with-GTP, an EF 1B-GDP complex is formed that contains a lower molecular weight and labile species of EF 1. The results also indicate that EF IA-GTP reacts with aminoacyl-tRNA to form an aminoacyl-tRNA-EF IB-GTP complex. These results are discussed with regard to the role of EF 1 in aminoacyltRNA binding to ribosomes.We have recently demonstrated that elongation factor 1 (EF 1) from calf brain can interact with GDP and GTP to form complexes that are retained on nitrocellulose filters (1). The EF 1-GTP complex was not retained on the filter in the presence of Phe-tRNA, suggesting that a Phe-tRNA-EF 1-GTP complex was formed (1). Similar results have been obtained with the bacterial elongation factor Tu (EF Tu), i.e., a reaction of EF Tu-GTP with aminoacyl-tRNA to form a ternary complex, aminoacyl-tRNA-EF Tu-GTP (2).In the present experiments, evidence for the formation of a ternary complex with the eukaryote elongation factor was sought by chromatographic procedures. It has now been possible to obtain more evidence for the formation of a PhetRNA-EF 1-GTP complex by molecular sieve chromatography. In addition, evidence will be presented that GDP and GTP react differently with EF 1. These results are discussed with respect to the role of EF 1 in aminoacyl-tRNA binding to ribosomes.
MATERIALS AND METHODSMost of the materials used were obtained from commercial sources. The preparation of calf-brain ribosomes and an outline of the purification procedure of EF 1 from calf brain have been reported (1). The EF 1 preparation bound 800 pmol of GTP per mg of protein, of which EF 1 accounted for 70% of the GTP binding based on the interaction with aminoacyl-tRNA, as assayed on a nitrocellulose filter (1).EF 1 was calculated to be about 10% pure, if a molecular weight of the protein of 2 X 105 is assumed. ,ug of poly(U), 7.5 ,ug of EF2 (3), 25 pmol of Phe-tRNA, 10 mM MgCl2,50 mM NH4Cl, 50 mM Tris HCl (pH 7.4), 1 mM DTT, 0.25 mM GTP, and 0.5 A20 of calf-brain ribosomes.The incubations were for 10 min at 370, and the reactions were terminated by the addition of 5 ml of 5% Cl3CCOOH. The acidified reaction mixtures were heated at 900 for 15 min and, after cooling, the incubations were filtered through nitrocellulose membranes (0.45 Mam, Millipore Corp.) as described (1); the membranes were assayed for radioactivity.All radioactive measurements were performed in a Beckman LS-100 scintillation counter with a counting fluid described by Bray (4).
RESULTSThe initial purpose of these experiments was to separate an aminoacyl-tRNA-EF 1-GTP complex from unreacted aminoacyl-tRNA and GTP, so as to study the interaction of the ternary complex with mammalian ribosomes. A Sephadex G-150 column was considered ideal for this purpose, since preliminary ...