Abstract
EVIDENCE that β-lactoglobulin molecules dissociate into halves in the pH region 1.6–4 has been presented by Timasheff, Townend and Weinberger1–3, and they have shown3 that there is reasonable agreement between the results obtained by the complementary methods of ultracentrifugation and light-scattering. The overall picture which emerges is of a dumb-bellshaped4 lactoglobulin molecule, of axial ratio 2, dissociating reversibly at 25° below pH 4 into two spherical sub-units of equal size. According to light-scattering data, and on the assumption of a molecule of weight 36,000, the dissociation constant at pH 1.6 is 2.5 × 10−4 mol./l. and at pH 3.5 is 4.3 × 10−6 mol./l.3.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Townend, R., and Timasheff, S. N., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 79, 3613 (1957).
Timasheff, S. N., and Townend, R., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 83, 470 (1961).
Townend, R., Weinberger, L., and Timasheff, S. N., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 82, 3175 (1960).
Green, D. W., and Aschaffenburg, R., J. Mol. Biol., 1, 54 (1959).
Gilbert, G. A., Nature, 186, 882 (1960).
Perrin, F., J. Phys. Radium, 7, 1 (1936).
Svedberg, T., and Pedersen, K., The Ultracentrifuge, 28 (Oxford University Press, London, 1940).
Gilbert, G. A., Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 250, 377 (1959).
Gilbert, G. A., Abst. Intern. Biophys. Cong. Stockholm, 312 (1961).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
GILBERT, L., GILBERT, G. Sedimentation of β-Lactoglobulin (A,B) under Dissociating Conditions in Acid Solution. Nature 192, 1181 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/1921181a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1921181a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.