Studies on Reduced Wool VIII. N-Acetyl Peptides Isolated From A Major Component

Abstract

Two amino terminal acetyl peptides, N·acetyl Ser.Phe.Asp.Phe (A) and N·acetyl Ser.Tyr.Asp.Phe (B), have been isolated from component 8, one of the two major components present in extracts of reduced and carboxymethylated wool. These peptides could not be eluted from columns of Dowex 1 but could be satis· factorily fractionated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography with a gradient of formic acid and by paper ionophoresis. The yield of peptide A was approximately twice that of peptide B. If the molecular weight of component 8 is 45,000 then these acetyl peptide sequences account for only approximately half of the theoretical amount of terminal peptides. This low recovery and the presence of two different but related terminal peptides provides additional evidence for heterogeneity of component 8, and support the idea .that a family of related proteins is present in keratin.