Abstract: | The quantitative amino acid composition of ristomycin A, a glycopeptide antibiotic, peptides I-IV (from partial acid hydrolysis of the antibiotic) and their dinitrophenylic derivatives was determined. It was shown that both ristomycin and free peptides I-IV contained one residue of ristomycinic acid and one residue of actinoidinic acid, diamino-dicarbonic amino acids of the glycylphenolic type. Peptides I-IV had close molecular weights, i.e. 1100-1200 and differed from each other in the gradually increasing numbers of NH2- and COON- groups, from one in peptide I to four in peptide IV. The quantitative amino acid analysis of the dinitrophenylic derivatives of ristomycin and peptides I-IV showed that the free NH2-group in peptide I belonged to ristomycinic acid, the same as in the antibiotic, while in peptides III-IV at least one of the free NH2-groups belonged to ristomycinic acid and the other belonged to actinoidinic acid. |