ABSTRACT. Dog β2-microglobulin was purified from the urine of dogs with potassium dichromate induced tubular damage. It was purified by sequential use of anion exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Comparisons of the amino acid sequence of the dog protein with human, mouse, and rabbit β2-microglobulin, indicated a high degree of similarity. The dog protein was very similar to human β2-microglobulin in that it had a molecular weight of 11.8 kDa and contained two half-cystinyl residues. Dog and human β2-microglobulin were demonstrably different at 24 of the 99 positions compared. The data supported the conclusion that the purified protein was dog β2-microglobulin and that all four proteins from dog, human, mouse, and rabbit were closely related.-KEY WORDS: amino acid sequence, dog β2-microglobulin, purification, urine.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 61(5): 517-521, 1999 obtained from an animal shelter were determined as healthy based on the results of routine physical examination, hematology and urinalysis. These dogs were given intravenous injection of 1 mg/kg potassium dichromate. They showed slight clinical signs of anorexia, depression, and proteinuria, but recovered 2 weeks later.Urine sample: The urine samples were paper-filtered, dialyzed overnight with 50 mM ammonium acetic acid (pH 8.6) at 4°C using dialysis tubing (Spectra/Por 6: Spectrum Industries, Houston, U.S.A.) with a molecular weight retention of 10.0 kDa, and then lyophilized.Purification of dog β2-m: Prior to anion exchange chromatography, 0.5 g of urinary material was dissolved in 50 ml of 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.6) containing 50 mM sodium chloride. This solution was chromatographed on a DEAE-cellulose (DE52: Whatman Bio Systems Ltd., Maidstone, UK) column (5 cm × 30 cm) equilibrated with 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.6) containing 50 mM sodium chloride at a flow rate of 120 ml/hr. The column was then eluted with the same buffer with 200 mM sodium chloride. Each fraction was monitored by sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in 15% gels [14], and stained with Coomassie brilliant blue G-250. The protein with a molecular weight of about 12 kDa was determined as β2-m, because of reaction with anti-human β2-m (Sigma Chemical Co., Mo, U.S.A.). The fraction containing the band of 12 kDa protein at high concentration was pooled, dialyzed against 50 mM ammonium acetic acid (pH 8.6), and lyophilized. This fraction was applied to a Sephadex G-75 (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden) column (2 cm × 100 cm) equilibrated with 0.2 M ammonium acetic acid (pH 8.6). Each fraction eluted from the column was analyzed, and the fraction containing the 12 kDa protein was lyophilized. The fraction enriched by the 12 kDa protein from Sephadex G-75 column was loaded to reversedphase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This HPLC system consisted of two Shimazu LC-6A pumps β2-microglobulin (β2-m) was initially purified from the urine of patients with Wilson's disease, chronic ca...