Amino-terminal sequence analysis of arachin

Amino-terminal sequence analysis of arachin, a peanut protein, using a modified Edman method has yielded the sequence of the first 60 residues. The PTH-amino acids have been identified on the basis of melting point, thin layer chromatography and UV spectroscopic data. For this purpose standard PTH-amino acids were prepared. In addition, two new solvent systems for thin layer chromatography of PTH-amino acids are reported.     

Isocratic separation of PTH-amino acids at picomole level by reverse-phase HPLC in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate

The phenylthiohydantoin (PTH) derivatives of protein amino acids have been separated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a fully end-capped C18 column using an isocratic solvent system. The developing solvent was 0.01 M sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.5) containing 39.5% acetonitrile and 0.02% sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS). With an automated liquid chromatography equipped with a dual-channel detector, operating at 254 and 313 nm, the present isocratic separation system was quite useful for routine microanalysis of PTH-amino acids released with a "gas-phase" sequencer. The time for one run was approximately 23 min and the limit of analysis approximately 2.5 pmol of a PTH-amino acid.     

An optimized procedure for the separation of amino acid phenylthiohydantoins by reversed-phase HPLC

An optimization procedure for the separation of 24 PTH-amino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography on an inexpensive Merck Superspher Si 60 RP-8, (4.0 x 250 mm) column with PTH-Nle as an internal standard is described. The effects of pH, ionic strength, temperature and gradient were investigated. Using conventional HPLC equipment, the practical detection limit is about 5 pmol.     

High-pressure liquid chromatographic identification of phenylthiohydantoin derivatives of all twenty common amino acids

Phenylthiohydantoin (PTH) derivatives of all 20 common amino acids can be separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography. By using a Waters reversed-phase C₁₈ column eluted with a concave ethanol gradient in ammonium acetate, pH 5.1, all PTH derivatives were eluted in less than 30 min. The NH₂-terminal amino acid sequence of the human retinolbinding protein could unambiguosly be established for the first 40 residues. Likewise, HLA-DR antigens biosynthetically labeled with [³H]tyrosine and [³H]phenylalanine were subjected to automatic sequential degradation. Labeled PTH-amino acids were easily identified by the described chromatographic procedure.     

Solid-phase sequencing on the gas-phase sequencer

Automated Edman degradation has been successfully used for determining the primary structure of numerous peptides and proteins. Quantitative solid-phase Edman degradation has great potential use for amino acid sequence analysis of synthetic peptides assembled on resin support by the Merrifield procedure. We report here the combined use of a modified gas-phase sequencer program and our improved reversed-phase HPLC analysis for PTH-amino acids to carry out the sequence analysis on synthesized peptide resins. This approach is far more sensitive than using glass beads on the conventional solid-phase sequencer. The peptide was assembled on copoly (styrene-1% divinylbenzene) resin beads at an initial substitution of 0.54 mmol/g. On a routine basis, 10-15 resin beads are used, and a repetitive yield of 94% is obtained: as few as 4 beads can be successfully sequenced. The HPLC PTH-amino acid analysis is sensitive down to subpicomole quantities. This procedure offers a sensitive and rapid analytical tool for checking the purity of peptides as they are being assembled on solid support.     

Purification of quadrol for microsequencing in the spinning-cup sequenator

Treatment of Quadrol buffer with isothiocyanatophenylthiocarbamylaminoethylaminopropyl glass (DITC glass) substantially reduces the impurities observed when this buffer is used with the spinning cup sequenator. Use of DITC glass-treated Quadrol buffer permits identification of PTH-amino acids from protein degradations down to 100 pmol.     

Cloning and expression of the Momordica charantia trypsin inhibitor II gene in silkworm by using a baculovirus vector

MCTI-II (Momordica charantia trypsin inhibitor II) isolated from bitter gourd (Momordica charantia LINN.) seeds is one of the serine protease inhibitors of the squash family. We cloned cDNA that encodes MCTI-II and constructed an expression system for MCTI-II by using a baculovirus vector. The recombinant baculovirus was inoculated to early fifth-instar larvae of the silkworm (strain: Shunrei x Shougetsu). Four days after infection, the hemolymph of silkworm larvae was collected and the recombinant protein was purified. Two kinds of expressed MCTI-II protein were obtained. An amino acid sequence analysis of the two proteins indicates that both were similar to the authentic inhibitor, except for the addition of a tripeptide derived from the vector at the N-terminus. One of the two inhibitors (MCTI-II A) resulted in a single PTH-amino acid in each Edman degradation cycle, while the other (MCTI-II B) resulted in two PTH-amino acids, suggesting the occurrence of cleavage of the reactive site. The inhibitory activities of MCTI-II expressed toward trypsin are examined in terms of the Ki value, these being 6.4 x 10(-10)M for MCTI-II A and 5.2 x 10(-10) M for MCTI-II B.     

The application of 0.1 M quadrol to the microsequence of proteins and the sequence of tryptic peptides.

In an effort to extend automated Edman degradation to nanomole quantities of protein, the method of sequenator analysis described by Edman and Begg (Edman, P., and Begg, G. (1967), Eur. J. Biochem. 1, 80) was modified to permit long degradations in the absence of carrier proteins. By using an aqueous 0.1 M Quadrol program with limited, combined benezene-ethyl acetate solvent extractions, as well as a change in the delivery system for heptafluorobutyric acid, it was possible to recover and identify the first 30 amino acid residues from a sequenator run on 7 nmol of myoglobin. For 3 nmol of myoglobin, 20 steps could be identified. PTH-amino acids were identified by gas-liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography on polyamide sheets. Without using a carrier protein the cup to prevent mechanical losses (Niall, H. D., Jacobs, J. W., Van Rietshoten, J., and Tregear, G. W. (1974), FEBS Lett. 41, 62), the repetitive yield using this program was 93-96%. The same program has been applied successfully to peptides of 14 or more residues with or without modification by Braunitzer's reagent and to a number of larger peptides and proteins including a 216 residue segment of rabbit antibody heavy chain in which a sequence of 35 steps was accomplished on 25 nmol.     

Alkylation of cysteine with acrylamide for protein sequence analysis.

Alkylation of cysteine in proteins with acrylamide under mildly alkaline conditions yields a thioether derivative, Cys-S-beta-propionamide (Cys-S-Pam), which is stable during automated Edman degradation. Its phenylthiohydantoin derivative, PTH-Cys-S-Pam, is easily separated from other PTH-amino acids by HPLC and is thus useful for cysteine identification during protein sequencing. PTH-Cys-S-Pam was first noticed during sequencing polypeptides blotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride membranes from polyacrylamide gels, in which cysteine had reacted with residual unpolymerized acrylamide. Cysteine in proteins is easily alkylated by reaction of proteins in aqueous solution with acrylamide. Methods are also presented for alkylation of cysteine in proteins adsorbed on fiberglass disks in the reaction cartridge of a protein sequencer. Finally, PTH-Cys-S-Pam was synthesized chemically. The synthetic compound is unstable in neutral solution, but can be stabilized by acidification. It has the same HPLC retention time as the product formed from cysteine when sequencing proteins alkylated with acrylamide.     

Complete amino acid sequence of arachin subunit of molecular weight 21,000

A subunit of molecular weight 21,000 from arachin, the major peanut protein, was isolated in pure form and primary structure was determined. The subunit was fragmented with CNBr, trypsin, and NBS; the fragments were separated and isolated by PAGE, gel filtration, Dowex treatment, and paper electrophoresis, and Edman degradation on each fragment, including the intact subunit, was performed. The PTH-amino acids thus obtained were identified by UV spectroscopy and TLC. The complete sequence of 176 residues was established by overlapping technique.     

N-terminal groups of buffalo thyroglobulin

N-Terminal analysis of purified buffalo thyroglobulin by the fluorodinitrobenzene method of Sanger yielded about 1.5 moles of DNP-glutamic acid per mole of buffalo thyroglobulin. No water-soluble DNP-amino acid was detectable as N-terminal. The presence of glutamic acid has been confirmed by Edman degradation and characterization of the PTH-amino acid in different solvent systems, and also after regeneration of free amino acid from PTH-amino acid in butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1:5, v/v) system. This is in contrast to the occurrence of aspartic acid or asparagine as N-terminals for several other mammalian thyroglobulins.     

Covalent attachment of peptides to cytochrome C for automated sequence determination.

Because small peptides are lost into the organic solvents used, it is virtually impossible to obtain the complete amino acid sequence of a small peptide using only an automated peptide sequencer of the spinning cup type. To overcome this problem we have extended peptides at the carboxy terminus by attachment to equine cytochrome c by a water soluble carbodiimide, relying on the acetylated N-terminus of the cytochrome to minimize its direct contribution to recovery of PTH-amino acids. The Model Peptide H-Leu-Trp-Met-Arg-phe-Ala-OH was used for most experiments. After reaction of 3H-peptide with cytochrome c, about one-third of the tritium counts migrated with cytochrome c during gel filtration. After attachment, the amino acid sequence of the hexapeptide was readily determined with a single cleavage Quadrol program in a Beckman 890B sequencer, whereas only the N-terminal residue was recovered without attachment. The repetitive yield after attachment was 95-96%, with 21-27+ overlap and an initial yield of 18-20%. Sequence data with other peptides illustrate applications and present limitations of our approach.     

Covalent Attachment of Peptides to Cytochrome C for Automated Sequence Determination

Because small peptides are lost into the organic solvents used, it is virtually impossible to obtain the complete amino acid sequence of a small peptide using only an automated peptide sequencer of the spinning cup type. To overcome this problem we have extended peptides at the carboxy terminus by attachment to equine cytochrome c by a water soluble carbodiimide, relying on the acetylated N-terminus of the cytochrome to minimize its direct contribution to recovery of PTH-amino acids. The Model Peptide H-Leu-Trp-Met-Arg-Phe-Ala-OH was used for most experiments. After reac-tion of³H-peptide with cytochrome c, about one-third of the tritium counts migrated with cytochrome c during gel filtration. After attachment, the amino acid sequence of the hexapeptide was readily determined with a single cleavage Quadrol program in a Beckman 890B sequencer, whereas only the N-terminal residue was recovered without attachment. The repetitive yield after attachment was 95–96%, with 21–27% overlap and an initial yield of 18-20%. Sequence data with other peptides illustrate applications and present limitations of our approach.     

Detection of methylated asparagine and glutamine residues in polypeptides

A residue of gamma-N-methylasparagine (gamma-NMA) is found at position beta-72 of many phycobiliproteins. delta-N-Methylglutamine is present in some bacterial ribosomal proteins. gamma-NMA was synthesized by reacting the omega-methyl ester of aspartate with methylamine and delta-N-methylglutamine by reaction of pyroglutamate with methylamine. These derivatives and the omega-methyl esters of aspartate and glutamate were characterized by melting point, by thin-layer chromatography, by amino acid analysis, by NMR spectroscopy, and after conversion to the phenylthiohydantoin (PTH) derivative. The gamma-NMA residues in peptides from allophycocyanin, C-phycocyanin, and B-phycoerythrin were stable under the conditions of automated sequential gas-liquid phase Edman degradation. On HPLC, PTH-gamma-NMA co-eluted with PTH-serine and was accompanied by a minor component eluting just prior to dimethylphenylthiourea. Similar results were obtained on manual derivatization of synthetic gamma-NMA to prepare the PTH derivative. The PTH-delta-N-methylglutamine standard eluted near the position of dimethylphenylthiourea under the usual conditions employed for the identification of PTH-amino acid derivatives in automated protein sequencing.     

Paper Chromatography as an Adjunct in the Identification of Anaerobic Bacteria

Modified paper chromatography procedures for the analysis of fatty acids produced by anaerobic bacteria are described. Both ethylamine and hydroxylamine derivatives of fatty acids were prepared from inoculated anaerobic culture broth. The derivatives were spotted on chromatography paper and developed with appropriate solvents. Paper chromatography is a valuable alternative to gas liquid chromatography as an ancillary procedure in the identification of anaerobic bacteria in the clinical bacteriology laboratory.     

Localization of the two free thiol groups in the porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase I sequence

Porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase I, a single 496 residue long polypeptide chain, contains 5 disulfide bridges and 2 free -SH groups. The conditions for specific blocking of native amylase either with radioactive N-ethyl maleimide or with labeled iodoacetic acid were determined. Under these conditions 2 moles of blocking reagent are incorporated per mole of amylase. [14C]-S-succinimido amylase was cleaved by CNBr and the resulting peptides were purified. Only one of them the CNBr 2 + 3 peptide (178 residues) was found labeled. Ts1 a 33-residue peptide containing the whole radioactivity was purified from the tryptic digest of this large fragment. After reduction and carboxymethylation Ts1A, (22 residues) was obtained which contains 2 moles of succinyl-Cys and one mole of CM-Cys per mole of peptide. Chymotryptic digestion of Ts1A yielded 2 equally labeled peptides: C1 (16 residues) and C2 (6 residues). Automated sequencing of both peptides and counting of the PTH-amino acids shows that the free cysteines are only 15 residues apart in the sequence.     

Size-dependent chromatographic separation of nucleic acids

Chromatographic procedures currently used for the size-dependent fractionation of nucleic acids are reviewed. First, an attempt is made to clarify the concept of “size” of nucleic acids and then various aspects of the chromatography of nucleic acids are considered. It is emphasized that consideration of the dynamic three-dimensional structure of large polynucleotides in a rapidly flowing eluent is essential for both the better understanding of mechanism and the development of sophisticated procedures. Of the practical chromatographic techniques that are not based on true size fractionation, ion-exchange chromatography on non-porous column packings appears to be the most efficient. Other methods, such as hydrophobic interaction, are unlikely to become popular. As for truly size-dependent modes, there are gel permeation and slalom chromatography. Although media with extremely large pores become available, the efficiency of gel permeation is still low as a practical separation procedure for large nucleic acid molecules. Its best use seems to be in the field of physicochemical research into nucleic acids in solution. The newly discovered slalom chromatography is based on a principle completely different from all other chromatographic modes. It enables the efficient separation of large double-stranded DNA fragments of 5–50 kilo base pairs by discriminating their length. It has proved not only to be useful as a tool for nucleic acid research but also to have great significance in other fields, e.g. the hydrodynamics of polymer solutions, the search for new chromatographic modes, etc.     

Search for amino acids in Apollo returned lunar soil.

The lunar samples from Apollo flights 11 through 17 provided the students of chemical evolution with an opportunity of examining extraterrestrial materials for evidence of early prebiological chemistry in the solar system. Our search was directed to water-extractable compounds with emphasis on amino acids. Gas chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry were used for the analysis. It is our conclusion that amino acids are not present in the lunar regolith above the background levels of our investigations.     

Search for amino acids in apollo returned lunar soil

The lunar samples from Apollo flights 11 through 17 provided the students of chemical evolution with an opportunity of examining extraterrestrial materials for evidence of early prebiological chemistry in the solar system. Our search was directed to water-extractable compounds with emphasis on amino acids. Gas chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry were used for the analysis. It is our conclusion that amino acids are not present in the lunar regolith above the background levels of our investigations.     

Ion-exchange chromatography in lunar organic analysis

Although ion exchange chromatography has been used in separating amino acids from mineral salts, quantitative recovery has not been possible for the basic amino acids or for subnanomole concentrations of amino acids.As an analytical tool for amino acid analysis, ion-exchange chromatography has made it possible to resolve a relatively complex mixture of amino acids in less than an hour with detection limits of less than 10^–12 moles of amino acids. Reasonable specificity for amino acids is achieved by multiple wavelength detection of the reaction product found with ninhydrin. Unequivocal specificity must be obtained in conjunction with other methods such as mass spectrometry.In the analysis of subnanomole levels of amino acids, it is necessary to carry both reagent blanks and low-level amino acid standards through the entire sample preparation step since both contamination and selective losses occur and must be monitored.