CALIBRATION OF GEL-PERMEATION COLUMNS IN THE HIGH-MOLECULAR-MASS RANGE - FIXED HUMAN THROMBOCYTES FOR THE ESTIMATION OF INTERSTITIAL VOLUMEAND THE HEMOCYANIN OF THE VINEYARD SNAIL HELIX-POMATIA AS A MOLECULAR-MASS CALIBRATION SUBSTANCE

Human thrombocytes, fixed with formaldehyde, are shown to be a univers al indicator of the interstitial volume in gel-permeation chromatograp hy (size-exclusion chromatography) for gels of all molecular mass sepa ration ranges. The fixed thrombocytes are simple to prepare and to han dle. Furthermore, native or intramolecularly cross-linked haemocyanin of the Roman snail Helix pomatia is shown to be well suited as a molec ular mass calibration substance. We propose 8.8 10(6) as its molecular mass for calibration. This haemocyanin can therefore be added to the list of globular protein molecular mass calibration substances in the range of very high molecular masses.