Thermal fragmentation of Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase. Isolation and characterization of an alpha-complementing and two non-complementing polypeptide fractions.

Carboxymethylated Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase EC 3.2.1.23 could be broken to polypeptides of fairly uniform size (average molecular weight about 22,000 daltons) by heating for less than or equal to 8 h at 100 degrees C and pH 7.5 IN 8 M-urea. Using phosphocellulose chromatography in NaCl-urea gradients, the resulting polypeptide mixture could be resolved in three fractions essentially homogeneous by disc gel electrophoresis in urea at several pH values, and by isoelectric focusing. One of these fractions was active as alpha-donor in in vitro complementation of beta-galactosidase activity with Escherichia coli mutant M15; this activity was largely retained after CNBr cleavage. All three fractions carried arginine as carboxyl-terminal amino acid. No significant amount of any specific amino could be detected in NH2-terminal position.