Formation of interchain disulfide bonds in Bence Jones proteins and Fab(t) fragments of immunoglobulin G through thiol-disulfide interchange.

The formation of interchain disulfide bonds from partially reduced Bence Jones protein (Nag, type lambda) and Fab(t) fragments of IgG1 myeloma proteins was studied in the presence of various disulfide reagents. The results could be well explained in terms of the scheme proposed previously (Kishida et al. (1976) J. Biochem. 79, 91-105). In this scheme, it was assumed that two kinds of intermediate, which form mixed disulfides with either of the paired thiol groups, are produced. For type lambda Bence Jones proteins, only one of the two intermediates can form the inter L-L disulfide bond. The fraction of intermediate having the ability to form the inter L-L disulfide bond was estimated to be 72% of the total Nag protein and was the same irrespective of the kind of disulfide reagent examined. For Fab(t), on the other hand, both intermediates equally can form the inter Fd-L disulfide bond. On the basis of the results with cystamine, it was shown that the formation of an inter Fd-L disulfide bond from the intermediate proceeds about 100 times as rapidly as that of an inter L-L disulfide bond.