A GENERAL METHOD FOR THE ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF PHOSVITIN FROM VERTEBRATE EGGS

Abstract

A general method has been developed for the isolation and purification of phosvitin from vertebrate eggs. The method is detailed in three steps consisting of (i) isolation of a phosvitin–lipovitellin complex; (ii) ammonium sulfate precipitation of the lipovitellin; and (iii) DEAE-cellulose chromatography of the remaining phosvitin. Phosvitin was isolated from the eggs of five representative vertebrates (lamprey, trout, frog, turtle, and chicken), and chemical analyses together with sedimentation studies were performed on the samples. Preparations were obtained with the lowest N/P ratios reported to date. The analytical results also suggested that trout phosvitin has approximately half the molecular weight (24,000) of the other proteins and that "purified" phosvitin may still be heterogeneous.