Investigation of the covalent bond structure of peptide-matrix systems by Edman degradation of support-fixed peptides

[Sequential Edman degredation]

Since Edman's first publication in 1950, the stepwise degradation of proteins and peptides is universally performed by protein chemists. We extensively reviewed the different manual degradations. We take two examples of manual degradation: a semi-micromethod and a micromethod in order to illustrate the evolution of manual degradation. The "dansyl-Edman" procedure proposed by Hartley in 1963 completes the manual N-terminal determination of peptides. We describe the different procedures of identification of PTH-amino acids: paper chromatography, thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography and liquid chromatography under high pressure and various modified Edman degradation procedures. Possibilities and limits of the liquid phase Sequenator of Edman reported in 1967 and the solid phase Sequencer of Laursen reported in 1971 are also considered in detail.

The phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system of Staphylococcus aureus. 1. Amino-acid sequence of the phosphocarrier protein HPr

The primary structure of the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein HPr of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system from Staphylococcus aureus was determined by automated Edman degradation. The complete sequence was deduced from the direct analysis of the protein by automated Edman degradation in a liquid-phase sequencer of Edman and from the sequence of tryptic, thermolytic and cyanogen bromide peptides as obtained by automated Edman degradation in a solid-phase sequencer of Laursen. The amino-acid sequence was found to be Met-Glu-Gln-Asn-Ser-Tyr-Val-Ile-Ile-Asp-Glu-Thr-Gly-Ile-His-Ala-Arg-Pro-Ala-Thr-Met-Leu-Val-Gln-Thr-Ala-Ser-Lys-Phe-Asp-Ser-Ile-Asp-Gln-Gly-Gly-Tyr-Asp-Ser-Met-Gln-Leu-Lys-Ser-Leu-Gly-Val-Gly-Lys-Asp-Glu-Glu-Ile-Thr-Ile-Tm-Ser-Ala-Asp-Lys-Lys-Glu-Gly-Leu-Thr-Lys-Met-Ser-Ile-Val. The 70 residues correspond to a molecular weight of 7685. The one histidine involved in the phosphotransfer reaction of this protein was found at position 15 as part of a region of the sequence which has no predictable secondary structure. It is suggested that this protein belongs to the group of male proteins with the active center located on a protrusion rather than a cleft.