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Purification of the Fusicoccin-Binding Protein from Oat Root Plasma Membrane by Affinity Chromatography with Biotinylated Fusicoccin

Fusicoccin (FC), a fungal phytotoxin, evokes a number of physiological responses after binding to the FC-binding protein (FCBP). For characterization of this plasma membrane protein and elucidation of the signal transduction pathway, we purified active FCBP from oat (Avena sativa L. cv Valiant) root plasma membranes using avidin-biotin affinity chromatography. For the binding of FCBP to immobilized avidin, a bifunctional FC derivative (FC-biotin, FCBio) was synthesized. FCBio retained high binding affinity for the FCBP (KD = 70 nM), it elicited a biological response comparable to FC, and it was bound by avidin. The purification of the FCBP involved three important steps. First, FCBio was bound to the FCBP in purified plasma membrane vesicles. Next, plasma membrane proteins were solubilized in detergent, and part of the solubilized proteins was precipitated by decreasing the detergent concentration below the critical micelle concentration. The FCBP remained in the soluble fraction, and this fraction was loaded on a “low-affinity” avidin column. Proteins, bound through a biotin moiety to the column, were specifically eluted with excess biotin. This resulted in fractions active in [3H]FC binding and two bands on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 31 and 30 kD. The nonhydrophobic behavior of the FCBP was confirmed by means of phase separation with Triton X-114, wherein the FCBP migrated to the hydrophilic phase. Purification of the FCBP in active form using this novel affinity technique opens the possibility to study other features of the FCBP necessary for inducing physiological responses in plant cells.