New insights into the structure of apolipoprotein B from low-density lipoproteins and identification of a novel YGP-like protein in hen egg yolk.

Apoproteins of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and soluble proteins (livetins) contained in hen egg yolk plasma have been demonstrated as being essential to the interfacial and emulsifying properties of yolk. The knowledge of their structure is necessary to better understand these properties. Purified protein fractions were separated by SDS-PAGE or 2D-PAGE and identified through the LC-MS/MS of their trypsin peptides. Hen blood apolipoprotein B gives rise to nine different apoproteins in LDL after maturation and proteolysis. Among these apoproteins, two protein fragments appeared to be less accessible to proteases and could be enriched in beta-sheets and firmly associated with lipids. Plasma soluble proteins were constituted by approximately 45% of yolk immunoglobulins with a high heterogeneity of the variable regions of both heavy and light chains, 41% of glycoproteins constituted by YGP42 and YGP40, 14% of albumins, and one new minor protein we called YGP30, showing 75% similarity to YGP40.