Purification by affinity chromatography and immunological characterization of a 110kDa component of the chick oviduct progesterone receptor.

A 110kDa component of the chick oviduct progesterone receptor (PR) has been purified to homogeneity according to electrophoretic criteria and specific activity (assuming one progestagen-binding site/110kDa). The procedure involved affinity chromatography of 0.3 M-KCl-prepared cytosol, followed by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography (elution at 0.2 M-KCl). The final yield was about 12% in terms of binding activity. Properties of the 110kDa component indicate that it is identical with the 'B' subunit described previously [Stokes radius approximately 6.1 nm; sedimentation coefficient, (S20, w) approximately 4S; frictional ratio approximately 1.77]. It reacted with the IgG-G3 polyclonal antibody, but not with BF4 monoclonal antibody raised against the 8S molybdate-stabilized chick oviduct PR and reacting with its 90kDa component. Another progesterone-binding component, corresponding to the 'A' subunit, also previously described, was eluted from the DEAE-Sephacel column at approximately 0.08 M-KCl, and contained a peptide of molecular mass approx. 75-80kDa, which had S20, w approximately 4S in a sucrose gradient. This component was also recognized by IgG-G3, but not by BF4; it was very unstable in terms of hormone-binding activity.