Tamm–Horsfall urinary glycoprotein. The chemical composition

Abstract

1. A revised amino acid and carbohydrate composition of human Tamm–Horsfall glycoprotein is presented. 2. No significant differences were obtained in the amino acid composition of Tamm–Horsfall glycoprotein isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis. 3. The glycoprotein was shown to possess a high half-cystine content of 1 per 11–12 amino acid residues, which has been confirmed by performic acid oxidation and S-alkylation with iodoacetate and iodoacetamide. No thiol groups were detected in the glycoprotein. 4. Treatment of the glycoprotein with 0.5m-sodium hydroxide at 4°C for 2 days did not release heterosaccharide material, which suggests that the predominant carbohydrate–protein linkages present are not of the O-glycosidic type. 5. No N-terminal amino acid was detected in the glycoprotein.