Purification of chick interferon by zinc chelate affinity chromatography and sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

An improved purification method for chick interferon from the allantoic fluid of embryonated chick eggs is described. Interferon prepurified by perchloric acid treatment, zinc acetate precipitation, and chromatography on SP-Sephadex C-25 was further enriched by column chromatography on zinc chelate. Analysis on sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the interferon preparation with a specific activity of 8 X 10(5) units/mg protein shows that the major antiviral activity migrated in a broad band in the range of 20-29 kD molecular weight. Several protein bands were stainable with Coomassie blue and silver nitrate in this molecular weight range. Between 80 and 95% of the total protein charged to the gel could be removed from the interferon containing fractions by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.