Detection of Tsh protein mucinolytic activity by SDS-PAGE.

The temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin (Tsh, 140 kDa) produced by Escherichia coli is cleaved into a fragment (106 kDa) containing mucinase activity, and an agglutinin fragment (33 kDa). By incorporating mucins into SDS-PAGE gels stained by Schiff's periodic acid, we could simultaneously detect about 0.5 microg of mucinase activity and the fragment molecular mass.