A GENERAL METHOD OF PURIFICATION OF ADENOSINE DEAMINASE BY AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY

Abstract

Affinity chromatography has been used to purify adenosine deaminase from various sources: calf spleen, calf intestinal mucosa, chicken duodena and human erythrocytes. For this purpose a specific inhibitor, 9-(p-aminobenzyl) adenine, was synthesized and covalently joined to agarose. Adenosine deaminase is selectively retained by such an inhibitor-resin when highly impure solutions are chromatographed through it. After elution from the resin with guanylurea, a competitive inhibitor, the enzyme is homogeneous and can be recovered in yields of 80% or more and the same number of multiple forms of the enzyme is present in the purified preparation and in the crude extract.