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An octapeptide with the amino acids < Ile, Arg, Met, Phe, Pro, Thr, Tyr, Val > w

ID: 61128 • Letter: A

Question


An octapeptide with the amino acids < Ile, Arg, Met, Phe, Pro, Thr, Tyr, Val > was subjected to digestion reactions A, B and C in order to deduce its amino acid sequence. The following results were obtained. The exact position occupied by each of the amino acids (positions 1-8 in the sequence) will be known when the results are analyzed
A. Digestion with Trypsin yielded a [Thr-Arg] dipeptide and a [hexapeptide] with the remaining amino acids.
Question (A1): Explain the reasoning for the fragmentation pattern
Question (A2): What can you deduce regarding the exact positions occupied by Thr and Arg in the sequence?
B. Cyanogen bromide treatment of the octapeptide also yielded a dipeptide [Phe-Pro] and a hexapeptide.
Question (B1): Explain the reasoning for the above fragmentation pattern (3 points) Question (B2): What can you deduce regarding the exact positions occupied by Phe and Pro in the sequence?
C. Chymotrypsin cleaved the octapeptide into two tetrapeptides, one with and the other
Question (C1): Explain the reasoning for the above pattern Question (C2): What can you deduce regarding the exact positions occupied by Val and Ile in the sequence?
Question (D): What is the sequence of the peptide?

Explanation / Answer

Let say the seq be

NH2 1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8        COOH

A. Trypsin digestion

A1. Trypsin cleaves peptide chains mainly at the carboxyl side of the amino acids lysine or arginine, except when either is followed by proline.

NH2 1        2COOH      NH2 3        4        5        6        7        8        COOH

A2. Therefore probable sequence will be

NH2 Thr    Arg    COOH    NH2   3    4     5        6        7   8   COOH

B. After CNBr digestion

B1. Cyanogen bromide hydrolyzes peptide bonds at the C-terminus of methionine residues.

B2. And it is given that dipeptide is Phe – Pro means the met is at 6 position and Phe-Pro will be at 7 and 8 position.Therefore seq will be

Phe will be at 7 position because the chymotrysin will not cut the hydrophobic group at C terminal when followed by pro so dipeptide will be phe-pro

NH2 Thr    Arg    3        4        5        met    Pro    Phe   COOH

C. After Chymotrypsin digestion

<Thr, Arg, Tyr, Val> and the other <Ile, Met, Phe, Pro>

C1. Chymotrypsin preferentially cleaves peptide amide bonds where the carboxyl side of the amide bond (the P1 position) is a large hydrophobic amino acid (tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine).

Therefore the cut will be at 5 position,and phe is already at 7 position so tyr will be at 5 position.

C2.  Chymotrypsin preferentially cleaves peptide amide bonds where the carboxyl side of the amide bond (the P1 position) is a large hydrophobic amino acid (tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine). Therefore Tyrosine must be followed by large hydrophobic containing group thet is isoleucine.

Therefore the probable sequence will be

D. NH2 Thr    Arg    Val Tyr    COOH       

NH2 Ile met    pro    phe    COOH

D. Therefore the sequence will be

NH2 Thr    Arg    Val Tyr    Ile Met    Phe Pro COOH