Studies on the High-Sulfur Proteins of Reduced Merino Wool

Abstract

The first complete amino-acid sequence of a wool protein is presented. The high-sulfur protein SCMKB-IIIB2, with a molecular weight of 11,260, consists of 97 residues and has an acetylated amino terminal. A notable feature of the protein is that it has a high- and a low-sulfur region. The sequence was determined by examination of the peptides released by various proteolytic enzymes and separated by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose with volatile buffers.