Ouabain-Binding Protein(s) From Human Plasma

Conservation of the binding site on mammalian Na+,K+-ATPase for cardiac glycosides and the importance of the Na+ pump in mammalian cellular physiology has stimulated the search for a mammalian analog of these plant compounds. One candidate, isolated from brain and blood, appears to be ouabain itself or a closely related isomer, the ouabain-like compound. Little is known about the circulating form. Because human steroid hormones circulate with carrier proteins, we produced a ouabain-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb 1-10) and used it to probe normal human plasma for ouabain-protein carrier complex. Ouabain-like biological activity was isolated in association with protein bands of 80, 50, and 25 kDa. These proteins appear to be human immunoglobulins or immunoglobulin-like because they are recognized by anti-human immunoglobulin antibodies, but not by anti-mouse immunoglobulin antibodies. The protein-containing fractions inhibit the binding of mAb 1-10 to immobilized ouabain, and with further purification on protein A, the immunoglobulin-like protein binds radioactive ouabain with an IC50 of 200 to 600 nmol/L, but binds digoxin with 100-fold less affinity, suggesting specificity for ouabain or its isomer. Active protein fractions after purification on C18 inhibit Na+ pump activity in human erythrocytes (IC50≈4 nmol/L, ouabain equivalents), and this chromatography appears to dissociate the ouabain-like compound from the immunoglobulin protein(s). These immunoglobulin-like molecules may represent a subset of immunoglobulins (≤0.5% of total protein A immunoglobulin) that function as a reservoir and delivery system for ouabain-like compounds in the modulation of human Na+, K+-ATPase in vivo.