Contrasting effect of phosphorylcholine-binding protein from rat and rabbit on heparin–lipoprotein interaction: a role of sialic acid

Abstract

The effect of rat phosphorylcholine-binding protein (PCBP) and rabbit C-reactive protein (CRP) on the serum lipoprotein–heparin–Ca2+ precipitation reaction has been examined. Rabbit CRP, a nonglycosylated acute-phase protein, has been isolated from the serum after turpentine-induced inflammation following an isolation procedure similar to that used for rat PCBP. The mobilities of rabbit CRP and rat PCBP on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis have been found to be different. Rabbit CRP, even though a P-choline binding protein, was found to have no inhibitory effect on the serum lipoprotein–heparin–Ca2+ precipitation reaction. Desialylated rat PCBP obtained by enzymatic desialylation of rat PCBP no longer inhibited the precipitation reaction, even though it retained its P-choline binding property and immunochemical identity with rat PCBP. The results suggest that the binding of rat PCBP and rabbit CRP to the P-choline moiety is not a sufficient requirement, and it now appears that the sialic acid moiety must also be present on these proteins to observe the inhibition of lipoprotein precipitation. This requirement is fulfilled by rat PCBP, but not by rabbit CRP which is nonglycosylated.