The isolation of trichophytin glycopeptide and its structure in relation to the immediate and delayed reactions.

Abstract

1. A pure glycopeptide has been isolated from submerged cultures of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. It contains galactose and mannose in a ratio which varied from 1:3 to 1:8 and about 10–12 per cent of protein consisting of the following amino acids: aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, proline, phenylalanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, and in trace amounts tyrosine, serine and lysine. 2. This glycopeptide will produce both immediate and delayed hypersensitivity reactions in man and guinea pigs. 3. Degradation of the carbohydrate causes a great reduction in immediate reactions and degradation of the peptide causes a loss of the delayed reactivity. 4. These results are discussed in relation to the mechanism of the immediate and the delayed reaction.