Interactions between bacterial pyrogen and proteolipid extracted from the cerebrum (II).

Our previous finding that the cerebral proteolipid could inactivate the pyrogenicity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro was also studied by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and the following results were obtained. When rabbit cerebral proteolipid was chromatographed, two main protein peaks were obtained. One appeared in the chloroform (C)/methanol (M) 6:1 and the other C/M 4:1 effluent, designated as fraction IV and fraction V, respectively. When the incubation mixture of proteolipid and LPS was chromatographed, a new protein peak appeared in the C effluent. The new protein peak was suggested to be a complex of proteolipid protein and LPS, because pyrogenicity could be detected in the protein fractions only after treatment with 2% SDS. Fraction V but not fraction IV inactivated the pyrogenicity of LPS in vitro. By re-chromatography of the incubation mixture of fraction V and LPS, a complex of protein and LPS was also eluted in the C effluent. On the other hand, by rechromatography of the incubation mixture of fraction IV and LPS, such a complex was not detected in the C effluent. The present results suggest that the proteolipid apoprotein eluted in the C/M 4:1 effluent on a Sephadex LH-20 column plays an important role in the inactivation of the pyrogenicity of LPS.