Disulfide interaction in situ between two neighbouring proteins in mammalian 60-S ribosomal subunits. Isolation of the contact region of the larger protein.

A disulfide complex is formed in situ under gentle conditions between two neighbouring proteins in the 60-S subunits of mammalian ribosomes. The proteins have been identified as L 4 and L 29. The complex is easily isolated from whole ribosomes, and can be utilized for preparing the two proteins in a very pure state for further characterization. Chymotryptic cleavage of the complex or the isolated larger protein (L 4) in the presence of SDS produces two unequal fragments of this protein in nearly quantitative yield. The smaller fragment (approx. 12 000 daltons) contains the contact sequence. Only this fragment of protein L 4 is labelled when rat liver ribosomes are incuabted with iodo[14C]acetate under conditions of complex formation. Protein L 29 is resistant to chymotrypsin in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate.