Abstract
METHODS for protein estimation in common use such as ultra-violet absorption and the method of Lowry et al.1 rely on the presence in the molecule of the aromatic amino-acids tyrosine and tryptophan, and if these are present in low concentrations, estimates of protein will be subject to error. Our in vivo investigations into blood coagulation2 have revealed that the active moiety, serum thrombotic accelerator3, which plays an important part in this mechanism, is low in aromatic groups. This deficiency was first indicated from the ultra-violet absorption spectrum of the serum thrombotic accelerator, which revealed a depressed peak at 280 mµ when compared with the corresponding spectrum of serum albumin (Fig. 1).
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HOWELL, R., COOK, M. & SCOTT, G. Chemical Analysis of Proteins Low in Aromatic Amino-acids. Nature 204, 1088–1090 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/2041088c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2041088c0
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