L-乳酸脱氢酶基因克隆及功能分析

构建了一株产D ,L_乳酸的乳杆菌 (Lactobacillussp .)MD_1的基因文库。利用乳酸脱氢酶和丙酮酸裂解酶缺陷的EscherichiacoliFMJ14 4作为宿主 ,通过互补筛选分离克隆到乳酸脱氢酶基因 (ldhL)。核酸序列分析表明 ,该基因以ATG为起始密码子编码 316个氨基酸残基组成的蛋白质 ,预测的分子量为 33 84kD ;5′端存在典型的启动子结构 ,3′端的终止子是不依赖于 ρ因子的转录终止子。ldhL编码的蛋白质有 3个保守区域 ,其中Gly13～Asp50保守区域是NADH的结合位点 ,Asp73～Ile10 0和Asn12.3～Arg15.4保守区是酶的活性部位。该ldhL和其他乳杆菌的ldhL基因和编码的氨基酸序列相似性较低 ,核苷酸序列相似性最高仅为 64.1% ,氨基酸序列相似性最高仅为 68.9% ,是新的L_乳酸脱氢酶基因     

D-乳酸脱氢酶基因克隆及其表达

构建了一株产D ,L 乳酸的乳杆菌 (Lactobacillussp .)MD 1的基因文库。利用乳酸脱氢酶和丙酮酸裂解酶缺陷的EscherichiacoliFMJ1 4 4作为宿主 ,在厌氧条件下通过互补筛选获得乳酸脱氢酶基因 (ldh) ,非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳 (Native PAGE)检测证明其阳性克隆表现出D 乳酸脱氢酶 (D LDH)活性。核酸序列分析表明 ,ldhD的ORF编码 331个氨基酸残基组成的蛋白质有两个保守区域 ,其中V1 47～D1 76 区是NADH的结合位点 ,R77～E1 0 7区据报道是酶的活性部位。该菌株D LDH和D羟基异己酸脱氢酶 (D HicDH)属于NADH依赖性脱氢酶家族 ,ldhD和其他乳杆菌属的ldhD及D HicDH基因和编码的氨基酸序列相似性较低 ,核酸序列相似性最高达 4 9 33% ,氨基酸序列相同性最高为 4 2 % ,是一个新的D 乳酸脱氢酶基因     

ldhL-ldb0094基因敲除对保加利亚乳杆菌产L-乳酸的影响

以保加利亚乳杆菌Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CICC21101为出发菌株,利用PCR扩增L-乳酸脱氢酶(ldhL)基因上下游序列ldhL1、ldhL2,获得ldhL基因缺失且包含上下游序列的片段,连接到乳酸菌专用温敏性基因敲除质粒pGhost4,将构建好的敲除载体电转入保加利亚乳杆菌CICC21101,低温筛选。结果表明,成功获得敲除ldhL基因的敲除突变株,敲除后的工程菌D-乳酸产量由30. 5g/L降为4. 8g/L,L-乳酸的产量由25. 4g/L增至58. 3g/L,光学纯度由54. 56%增至90%。同时发现ldhL-ldb0094基因的敲除致使ldhL-ldb1020表达的上调,D-乳酸脱氢酶(ldbD)基因表达量没有变化,ldhL基因敲除株的成功构建将为进一步研究该基因在保加利亚乳杆菌中的功能及后续高光学活性D-乳酸工程菌构建奠定基础。     

植物乳杆菌LY-78乳酸氧化酶基因克隆与生物信息学分析

[目的]对植物乳杆菌LY-78乳酸氧化酶基因(lox)进行克隆及生物学信息学分析。[方法]PCR克隆lox基因,测序后采用多种生物学信息软件预测该基因对应蛋白的理化性质和结构特征。[结果]植物乳杆菌LY-78的乳酸氧化酶基因全长1 101 bp,编码366个氨基酸,其蛋白分子量38 730.1 Da,p I 5.58,亲水性非分泌蛋白。该蛋白氨基酸序列系统进化树分析表明,该基因序列保守性较高,可以反映近缘物种的亲缘关系;具有保守的α-羟基酸脱氢酶结合结构域。[结论]为揭示植物乳杆菌LY-78乳酸氧化酶的生理功能及在苯乳酸代谢机理中的作用提供了理论依据。     

血红密孔菌(Pycnoporussanguineus)漆酶基因的克隆与序列分析

为克隆血红密孔菌 (Pycnoporussanguineus)漆酶基因 ,根据真菌漆酶氨基酸序列保守区设计了 1对简并引物 .以血红密孔菌基因组DNA为模板 ,PCR扩增出长 12 2 7bp的漆酶基因片段 .以此序列为基础 ,通过 5′及 3′RACE技术克隆出漆酶全长cDNA序列 ,序列长为 190 2bp ,其 5′端和 3′端非编码区长分别为 5 1bp和 2 97bp ,开放阅读框长 15 5 4bp ,编码 5 18个氨基酸的蛋白 .该蛋白具有 4个铜离子结合区域 ,预测其相对分子量为 5 6 313 2 ,等电点为 5 5 9,其氨基酸序列与Pycnoporuscinnabarinus漆酶 (lcc3 2 )的同源性最高 ,为 96 % .以该cDNA编码区的两端序列为引物 ,PCR扩增得到漆酶的长度为 2 15 4bp的全长DNA序列 ,序列中包括 10个内含子序列 ,长为 5 2～ 70bp     

中华鳖4个Sox基因保守区的序列分析

采用PCR技术,扩增和克隆了中华鳖Sox基因（TSSox）。经DNA序列分析显示,Sox基因在系统进化上十分保守,其中TSSox4与鸟类LF4基因编码的氨基酸序列完全相同、与人类SOX4和Sox4编码的序列仅一个氨基酸的差异;TSSox5与鸟类的LF5基因的编码也仅一个氨基酸发生了改变;TSSox2与海龟的TSox2相似性最高。4条TSSox序列中,TSSox与人SRY基因序列相似性最高,达75％;序列上的相似性可能暗示了它们在功能上的保守性。     

异育银鲫c型溶菌酶全长cDNA序列的生物信息学分析及其组织表达分析

利用RACE及克隆等方法获得了异育银鲫（Carassius auratus gibelio）c型溶菌酶基因全长cDNA序列．序列分析表明,所克隆的异育银鲫溶菌酶的cDNA全长751 bp,包括溶菌酶基因开放阅读框（ORF）438 bp,5′ 非编码区（UTR）为109 bp和3′ UTR为204 bp．438 bp ORF共编码146个氨基酸,其成熟肽的分子量预测值为14　543.6,理论等电点为8.86．通过ClustalW软件,将异育银鲫和其它多个物种c型溶菌酶的氨基酸序列进行多序列比对发现,所克隆的异育银鲫溶菌酶编码的氨基酸序列中存在c型溶菌酶的活性中心（Glu53和Asp69）,且与活性位点相邻的氨基酸序列高度保守．同时,8个保守的半胱氨酸残基也与其它物种的c型溶菌酶相一致．结合BLASTN分析的结果,可以确认所获得的异育银鲫溶菌酶cDNA序列属于c型溶菌酶．异育银鲫c型溶菌酶和人c型溶菌酶（pdb 1at6_）在蛋白质序列上有50%相似性,其三维（3-D）结构非常类似．通过氨基酸空间位置比较发现,两者具有类似的酶活中心,异育银鲫c型溶菌酶只能形成3个二硫键,比人少1个．荧光定量RT-PCR检测和溶菌酶活性测定显示,异育银鲫头肾和脾脏c型溶菌酶mRNA的表达量约为肝胰脏的2.9 倍和1.7 倍,异育银鲫头肾和脾脏的溶菌酶活性约为肝胰脏的6.2 倍和4倍．     

少根根霉Δ6-脂肪酸脱氢酶基因的克隆和表达

根据真菌Δ6 脂肪酸脱氢酶保守的氨基酸序列设计简并引物进行RT PCR ,获得一个 5 93bp的cDNA片段 ,再根据获得的部分序列设计基因特异性引物 ,通过cDNA末端扩增技术 (RACE)获得该cDNA的 3′和 5′序列 ,从而得到全长为 14 82bp的cDNA序列。序列分析结果表明 ,该序列具有一个长度为 1377bp、编码 4 5 8个氨基酸的开放阅读框 ,所编码蛋白质的大小为 5 2kD。与报道的Δ6 脂肪酸脱氢酶一样 ,推测的氨基酸序列具有膜整合脂肪酸脱氢酶特异性的 3个组氨酸保守区和疏水结构 ,在其氨基酸序列的N 末端具有类似于细胞色素b5的血红素结合区。该序列为一个新的编码Δ6 脂肪酸脱氢酶的基因 ,为了验证其功能 ,把开放阅读框序列RAD6亚克隆到表达载体 pYES2 0 ,构建重组表达载体pYRAD6 ,并转化到酿酒酵母的缺陷型菌株INVScl进行表达。通过气相色谱(GC)和气相色谱 /质谱 (GC MS)分析表明 ,该序列在酿酒酵母中获得表达。所编码的酶具有Δ6 脂肪酸脱氢酶活性 ,能将外源性的底物亚油酸转化为γ 亚麻酸 ,γ 亚麻酸的含量占酵母总脂肪酸的 3 85 %。     

兽疫链球菌透明质酸合成相关基因hasB的克隆以及性质研究

透明质酸是链球菌荚膜的主要组成部分,有着重要的生理功能。UDP-葡萄糖脱氢酶(HasB)是透明质酸合成中的一个关键酶,而C类链球菌的UDP-葡萄糖脱氢酶编码基因(hasB)尚未被克隆。通过hasB基因的上下游序列设计引物从兽疫链球茵的基因组中克隆出一段序列,测序结果显示其包含一个由1206个碱基组成的开放阅读框,所编码的蛋白序列同化脓链球菌和乳链球菌的UDP-葡萄糖脱氢酶蛋白序列分别有63．1％和70．6％的相似性。将这段基因置于T7启动子下,并在大肠杆菌中进行表达,能够得到一个约47kDa的蛋白,酶活测定显示其具有UDP-葡萄糖脱氢酶活性。这些结果表明所克隆的基因是兽疫链球菌的UDP-葡萄糖脱氢酶编码基因。     

毕氏酵母胱硫醚合成酶基因的克隆和序列分析

胱硫醚合酶（cystathione beta-synthase,CBS）是半胱氨酸代谢中一个重要的酶。以PCR技术为主,克隆了毕氏酵母来源的CBS基因。首先基于不同来源的CBS基因的序列比对,设计了一对CBS的性简并引物,用它扩增出毕氏酵母CBS基因的一个保守片段。根据这段DNA的序列,设计了5′RACE和3′RACE的引物,分别克隆了该基因的3′区和5′区。由此装配出完整的毕氏酵母的CBS基因序列。该基因编码了一种501个氨基酸残基的蛋白质。核苷酸序列和氨基酸序列的排比显示该基因与酿酒酵母来源的CBS基因有较高的相似性。破坏该基因,造成毕氏酵母的半胱氨酸生长依赖性。该序列已存入GenBank／EBM／DDBJ数据库,其登录号为No.AF367364。     

芽孢杆菌P38中乳酸脱氢酶对其产L-乳酸光学纯度的影响

【目的】研究芽孢杆菌(Bacillus sp.) P38中乳酸脱氢酶对其产高光学纯L-乳酸(光学纯度>99%)的影响。【方法】全基因组测序显示在该菌中存在3个乳酸代谢关键酶,分别为L-乳酸脱氢酶(L-LDH)、D-乳酸脱氢酶(D-LDH)和苹果酸或L-乳酸脱氢酶(M/L-LDH)。通过将这3个酶进行异源表达、纯化与酶学特性分析,结合Native-PAGE、实时荧光定量PCR等方法,初步确定该菌高产光学纯L-乳酸的机理。【结果】Bacillus sp. P38中L-LDH对丙酮酸的催化活性(Kcat/Km值)最高,分别是D-LDH的2.9倍和M/L-LDH的4.3倍。其中M/L-LDH主要起L-LDH的功能。Native-PAGE实验中未检测到D-LDH活性。Bacillus sp. P38所有发酵阶段ldhL的转录水平均高于ldhD和ldhM/L。【结论】L-LDH是Bacillus sp. P38产高光学纯L-乳酸的主要关键酶。     

Lactobacillus plantarum ldhL gene: overexpression and deletion.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a lactic acid bacterium that converts pyruvate to L-(+)- and D-(-)-lactate with stereospecific enzymes designated L-(+)- and D-(-)-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), respectively. A gene (designated ldhL) that encodes L-(+)-lactate dehydrogenase from L. plantarum DG301 was cloned by complementation in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the ldhL gene predicted a protein of 320 amino acids closely related to that of Lactobacillus pentosus. A multicopy plasmid bearing the ldhL gene without modification of its expression signals was introduced in L. plantarum. L-LDH activity was increased up to 13-fold through this gene dosage effect. However, this change had hardly any effect on the production of L-(+)- and D-(-)-lactate. A stable chromosomal deletion in the ldhL gene was then constructed in L. plantarum by a two-step homologous recombination process. Inactivation of the gene resulted in the absence of L-LDH activity and in exclusive production of the D isomer of lactate. However, the global concentration of lactate in the culture supernatant remained unchanged.     

干酪乳杆菌L-乳酸脱氢酶在大肠杆菌中的表达、纯化及酶学性质

L-乳酸脱氢酶(L-lactate dehydrogenase,L-LDH)是发酵生产L-乳酸中催化丙酮酸转化成L-乳酸的关键酶。以干酪乳杆菌G-02(Lactobacillus casei G-02)基因组DNA为模板,克隆得到L-LDH基因(ldhL),经序列分析后将其连接到表达载体pET-28a(+)上,构建成重组质粒pET-ldhL转化到大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中,实现ldhL基因的表达。30°C加入IPTG诱导表达后,经镍柱亲和层析纯化的重组蛋白样品通过SDS-PAGE分析,约在40 kD处出现显著的特异性条带。对表达的L-LDH生物学特异性研究显示:重组L-LDH的比酶活为1 722 U/mg,最适反应温度为40°C-45°C;果糖-1,6-二磷酸(FBP)为别构激活剂,使最适pH向中性方向偏移(pH为6.6-6.8),Mn2+可拓宽最适酶活pH范围;Mn2+、Ca2+和Mg2+对L-LDH有激活作用,而Zn2+对L-LDH有抑制作用。     

Metabolic engineering of Lactobacillus helveticus CNRZ32 for production of pure L-(+)-lactic acid

Expression of D-(-)-lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH) and L-(+)-LDH genes (ldhD and ldhL, respectively) and production of D-(-)- and L-(+)-lactic acid were studied in Lactobacillus helveticus CNRZ32. In order to develop a host for production of pure L-(+)-isomer of lactic acid, two ldhD-negative L. helveticus CNRZ32 strains were constructed using gene replacement. One of the strains was constructed by deleting the promoter region of the ldhD gene, and the other was constructed by replacing the structural gene of ldhD with an additional copy of the structural gene (ldhL) of L-LDH of the same species. The resulting strains were designated GRL86 and GRL89, respectively. In strain GRL89, the second copy of the ldhL structural gene was expressed under the ldhD promoter. The two D-LDH-negative strains produced only L-(+)-lactic acid in an amount equal to the total lactate produced by the wild type. The maximum L-LDH activity was found to be 53 and 93% higher in GRL86 and GRL89, respectively, than in the wild-type strain. Furthermore, process variables for L-(+)-lactic acid production by GRL89 were optimized using statistical experimental design and response surface methodology. The temperature and pH optima were 41 degrees C and pH 5.9. At low pH, when the growth and lactic acid production are uncoupled, strain GRL89 produced approximately 20% more lactic acid than GRL86.     

The primary structure of the β-subunit of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The complete amino acid sequence of the β-subunit of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase was determined. The β-subunit contained four methionine residues. Thus, five peptides were obtained after cleavage of the carboxymethylated β-subunit with cyanogen bromide, and were isolated on Sephadex G-75 column chromatography. The amino acid sequences of the cyanogen bromide peptides were established by characterization of the peptides obtained after digestion with trypsin, chymotrypsin, thermolysin, or Staphylococcus aureus protease. The major sequencing techniques used were automated and manual Edman degradations. The five cyanogen bromide peptides were aligned by means of the amino acid sequences of the peptides containing methionine purified from the tryptic hydrolysate of the carboxymethylated β-subunit. The amino acid sequence of all the 238 residues was as follows: ProAlaGlnAspAsnSerArgPheValIleArgAsp ArgAsnTrpHis ProLysAlaLeuThrPro-Asp — TyrLysThrSerIleAlaArg SerProArgGlnAla LeuValSerIleProGlnSer — IleSerGluThrThrGly ProAsnPheSerHisLeu GlyPheGlyAlaHisAsp-His — AspLeuLeuLeuAsnPheAsn AsnGlyGlyLeu ProIleGlyGluArgIle-Ile — ValAlaGlyArgValValAsp GlnTyrGlyLysPro ValProAsnThrLeuValGluMet — TrpGlnAlaAsnAla GlyGlyArgTyrArg HisLysAsnAspArgTyrLeuAlaPro — LeuAspProAsn PheGlyGlyValGly ArgCysLeuThrAspSerAspGlyTyrTyr — SerPheArg ThrIleLysProGlyPro TyrProTrpArgAsnGlyProAsnAsp — TrpArgProAla HisIleHisPheGlyIle SerGlyProSerIleAlaThr-Lys — LeuIleThrGlnLeuTyr PheGluGlyAspPro LeuIleProMetCysProIleVal — LysSerIleAlaAsn ProGluAlaValGlnGln LeuIleAlaLysLeuAspMetAsnAsn — AlaAsnProMet AsnCysLeuAlaTyr ArgPheAspIleValLeuArgGlyGlnArgLysThrHis PheGluAsnCys. The sequence published earlier in summary form (Iwaki et al., 1979, J. Biochem.86, 1159–1162) contained a few errors which are pointed out in this paper.     

Amino acid sequence of a protease inhibitor isolated from Sarcophaga bullata determined by mass spectrometry.

The amino acid sequence of a protease inhibitor isolated from the hemolymph of Sarcophaga bullata larvae was determined by tandem mass spectrometry. Homology considerations with respect to other protease inhibitors with known primary structures assisted in the choice of the procedure followed in the sequence determination and in the alignment of the various peptides obtained from specific chemical cleavage at cysteines and enzyme digests of the S. bullata protease inhibitor. The resulting sequence of 57 residues is as follows: Val Asp Lys Ser Ala Cys Leu Gln Pro Lys Glu Val Gly Pro Cys Arg Lys Ser Asp Phe Val Phe Phe Tyr Asn Ala Asp Thr Lys Ala Cys Glu Glu Phe Leu Tyr Gly Gly Cys Arg Gly Asn Asp Asn Arg Phe Asn Thr Lys Glu Glu Cys Glu Lys Leu Cys Leu.     

The amino acid sequence of human chorionic gonadotropin. The alpha subunit and beta subunit.

The amino acid sequences of both the alpha and beta subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin have been determined. The amino acid sequence of the alpha subunit is: Ala - Asp - Val - Gln - Asp - Cys - Pro - Glu - Cys-10 - Thr - Leu - Gln - Asp - Pro - Phe - Ser - Gln-20 - Pro - Gly - Ala - Pro - Ile - Leu - Gln - Cys - Met - Gly-30 - Cys - Cys - Phe - Ser - Arg - Ala - Tyr - Pro - Thr - Pro-40 - Leu - Arg - Ser - Lys - Lys - Thr - Met - Leu - Val - Gln-50 - Lys - Asn - Val - Thr - Ser - Glu - Ser - Thr - Cys - Cys-60 - Val - Ala - Lys - Ser - Thr - Asn - Arg - Val - Thr - Val-70 - Met - Gly - Gly - Phe - Lys - Val - Glu - Asn - His - Thr-80 - Ala - Cys - His - Cys - Ser - Thr - Cys - Tyr - Tyr - His-90 - Lys - Ser. Oligosaccharide side chains are attached at residues 52 and 78. In the preparations studied approximately 10 and 30% of the chains lack the initial 2 and 3 NH2-terminal residues, respectively. This sequence is almost identical with that of human luteinizing hormone (Sairam, M. R., Papkoff, H., and Li, C. H. (1972) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 48, 530-537). The amino acid sequence of the beta subunit is: Ser - Lys - Glu - Pro - Leu - Arg - Pro - Arg - Cys - Arg-10 - Pro - Ile - Asn - Ala - Thr - Leu - Ala - Val - Glu - Lys-20 - Glu - Gly - Cys - Pro - Val - Cys - Ile - Thr - Val - Asn-30 - Thr - Thr - Ile - Cys - Ala - Gly - Tyr - Cys - Pro - Thr-40 - Met - Thr - Arg - Val - Leu - Gln - Gly - Val - Leu - Pro-50 - Ala - Leu - Pro - Gin - Val - Val - Cys - Asn - Tyr - Arg-60 - Asp - Val - Arg - Phe - Glu - Ser - Ile - Arg - Leu - Pro-70 - Gly - Cys - Pro - Arg - Gly - Val - Asn - Pro - Val - Val-80 - Ser - Tyr - Ala - Val - Ala - Leu - Ser - Cys - Gln - Cys-90 - Ala - Leu - Cys - Arg - Arg - Ser - Thr - Thr - Asp - Cys-100 - Gly - Gly - Pro - Lys - Asp - His - Pro - Leu - Thr - Cys-110 - Asp - Asp - Pro - Arg - Phe - Gln - Asp - Ser - Ser - Ser - Ser - Lys - Ala - Pro - Pro - Pro - Ser - Leu - Pro - Ser-130 - Pro - Ser - Arg - Leu - Pro - Gly - Pro - Ser - Asp - Thr-140 - Pro - Ile - Leu - Pro - Gln. Oligosaccharide side chains are found at residues 13, 30, 121, 127, 132, and 138. The proteolytic enzyme, thrombin, which appears to cleave a limited number of arginyl bonds, proved helpful in the determination of the beta sequence.     

Structure of human phosphopantothenoylcysteine synthetase at 2.3 A resolution

The structure of human phosphopantothenoylcysteine (PPC) synthetase was determined at 2.3 A resolution. PPC synthetase is a dimer with identical monomers. Some features of the monomer fold resemble a group of NAD-dependent enzymes, while other features resemble the ribokinase fold. The ATP, phosphopantothenate, and cysteine binding sites were deduced from modeling studies. Highly conserved ATP binding residues include Gly43, Ser61, Gly63, Gly66, Phe230, and Asn258. Highly conserved phosphopantothenate binding residues include Asn59, Ala179, Ala180, and Asp183 from one monomer and Arg55' from the adjacent monomer. The structure predicts a ping pong mechanism with initial formation of an acyladenylate intermediate, followed by release of pyrophosphate and attack by cysteine to form the final products PPC and AMP.     

Crystal structures of an intein from the split dnaE gene of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 reveal the catalytic model without the penultimate histidine and the mechanism of zinc ion inhibition of protein splicing

The first naturally occurring split intein was found in the dnaE gene of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and belongs to a subclass of inteins without a penultimate histidine residue. We describe two high-resolution crystal structures, one derived from an excised Ssp DnaE intein and the second from a splicing-deficient precursor protein. The X-ray structures indicate that His147 in the conserved block F activates the side-chain N(delta) atom of the intein C-terminal Asn159, leading to a nucleophilic attack on the peptide bond carbonyl carbon atom at the C-terminal splice site. In this process, Arg73 appears to stabilize the transition state by interacting with the carbonyl oxygen atom of the scissile bond. Arg73 also seems to substitute for the conserved penultimate histidine residue in the formation of an oxyanion hole, as previously identified in other inteins. The finding that the precursor structure contains a zinc ion chelating the highly conserved Cys160 and Asp140 reveals the structural basis of Zn2+-mediated inhibition of protein splicing. Furthermore, it is of interest to observe that the carbonyl carbon atom of Asn159 and N(eta) of Arg73 are 2.6 angstroms apart in the free intein structure and 10.6 angstroms apart in the precursor structure. The orientation change of the aromatic ring of Tyr-1 following the initial acyl shift may be a key switching event contributing to the alignment of Arg73 and the C-terminal scissile bond, and may explain the sequential reaction property of the Ssp DnaE intein.     

Amino acid sequence of seminalplasmin, an antimicrobial protein from bull semen

Analytical ultracentrifugation of highly purified seminalplasmin revealed a molecular mass of 6300. Amino acid analysis of the protein preparation indicated the absence of sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine. The amino acid sequence of seminalplasmin was determined by manual Edman degradation of peptides obtained by proteolytic enzymes trypsin, chymotrypsin and thermolysin: NH₂-Ser Asp Glu Lys Ala Ser Pro Asp Lys His His Arg Phe Ser Leu Ser Arg Tyr Ala Lys Leu Ala Asn Arg Leu Ser Lys Trp Ile Gly Asn Arg Gly Asn Arg Leu Ala Asn Pro Lys Leu Leu Glu Thr Phe Lys Ser Val-COOH. The number of amino acids according to the sequence were 48, the molecular mass 6385. As predicted from the sequence, seminalplasmin very likely contains two α-helical domains in which residues 8-17 and 40-48 are involved. No evidence for the existence of β-sheet structures was obtained. Treatment of seminalplasmin with the above proteases as well as with amino peptidase M and carboxypeptidase Y completely eliminated biological activity.