Oct. 20, 1958
COMMUNICATIONS TO THE EDITOR
5575
Electrophoresis at pH 4.1, using the procedure of Bettelheimjs yields two bands with peptide of both bovine and human origin. The mixture of ftbrinopeptides isolated from human fibrinogen purified with ammonium sulfate according to Laki6 or with , ~ shown no alcohol according to Morrison, et ~ l . has spectral evidence €or tyrosine either before or after mild acid hydrolysis. Other investigators8-11 have shown that 'bovine fibrinogen possesses N-terminal glutamic acid and tyrosine while human fibrinogen possesses N-termi(Q) G. Barger and E. Dyer, THIS JOURNAL, 60,2414 (1938). nal alanine and tyrosine. The observations reCHEMISTRY DEPARTMEKT AND ported here suggest that other differences in IchemiRADIATION LABORATORY H. RAPOPORT cal composition exist in fibrinogen of bovirie and UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA J. R . TRETTER human origin. BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA Acknowledgments.-This investigation has been RECEIVED JULY 28, 1958 aided by grants from the Graduate School Research Fund of the University of Minnesota, the E1.i Lilly Co. and the Life Insurance Medical Research A DIFFERENCE IN BOVINE AND HUMAN FIBRINO- Fund. Human fraction I was supplied through the PEPTIDES WITH RESPECT TO THE OCCURRENCE courtesy of the American Red Cross and E. R. OF TYROSINE-0-SULFATE Squibb and Sons. The assistance of Robert Eric Szr: Olson, Robert Kyle and Miss Charlotte RothBettelheiml has reported tyrosine-0-sulfate to be nem in preparation of purified thrombin, fibrinoa component of fibrinopeptide B, one of the pep- gen and synthetic tyrosine-0-sulfate is gratefully tides liberated by the action or' thrombin on bovine acknowledged. fibrinogen. Recently Blomback and Vestermark2 ( 7 ) P. R. Morrison, J. T. Edsall and S. G. Miller, THISJOURNAL,70, also have reported evidence for the presence of ty- 3103 (1948). ( 8 ) IC. Bailey, F. R. Bettelheim, L. Lorand and W. R. Middlebrook. rosine-0-sulfate in bovine fibrinopeptide B . We have confirmed the presence of a component Nature, 167, 233 (1951). ( e ) L. Lorand and W. R. Middlebrook, Biochcm. J., 62, 196 (1952). with the properties of tyrosine-0-sulfate in fibrino( 1 0 ) L. Lorand and W. R. Middlebrook, Science, 118, 515 (1053). peptide of bovine origin but have been unable to (11) B. Blomblck, A r k i v f o r Kemd, 1 2 , 299 (1958). (12) Fellow of the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, Kew York, detect this compound in peptide derived from huN. Y., deceased, January 16, 1958. man fibrinogen. Our initial experiments with bovine fibrinopep- RESEARCH LABORATORIES OF PEDIATRICS R. W. VON KORFF tide appeared to indicate the presence of a compo- DEPARTMENT VARIETYCLUBHEARTHOSPITAL nent, readily hydrolyzed by acid, but yielding a UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ALICE BROSFBNBRISNNER~~ product other than tyrosine. The source of these MINNEAPOLIS, MIXNESOTA difficulties proved to he the large amount of carRECEIVED AUGUST12, 1958 bohydrate impurities in clinical thrombin (bovine origin, Parke, Davis and Co.). This material on acid hydrolysis yielded ultraviolet absorption maxima a t 283 and 286 mp in acid and alkaline solution, A NEW PROCEDURE FOR FORMING CARBON.respectively, which is believed to be due to formaCARBON BONDS1 tion of hydroxymethylfurfural. These reactions either completely obscured or destroyed the liber- Sir : ated tyrosine. Purification of the thrombin acI n connection with our studies in oxindole chenicording to Rasmussen3 on Amberlite XE-64 (Rohm istry2 we have uncovered a novel method of monoand Haas Co.) resulted in removal of interfering materials and a high purity thrombin.* Bovine alkylation of active methylene compounds. An fibrinogen was purified by the procedure of Laki5 investigation of a new synthesis of oxindole (Ia) by and was 94-96 per cent. clottable. Fibrinopeptide a desulfurization of isatin ethylenethioketal (11) was isolated by the procedure o€ Bettelheime using m.p. 200-201° (Found: C, 53.92; H , 4.17; N, purified thrombin. The resulting fibrinopeptide 6.50) revealed that a Raney nickel treatment of mixture possessed the properties described by Bet- I1 in benzene or for four hours in ethanol gave the telheiml with respect to ultraviolet spectra before desired product. However, longer runs with W-2 and after acid hydrolysis. Chromatography of a Raney nickel and 11, or even Ia, in a 10: 1 weight barium hydroxide hydrolysate of fibrinopeptide on ratio, in various alcoholic solutions yielded 3-alkylDowex 1 acetate yielded a peak corresponding in oxindoles (I). Table I illustrates that (a) oxindole is an interposition to that of synthetic tyrosine-0-sulfate. mediate in the conversion of I1 to Ib-d; (b) a pri(1) F. R. Bettelheim, THIS JOURNAL, 76,2838 (1954). mary alcohol reacts faster than a secondary carbi-
The structure of the a-carbethoxyindole IV was established by saponification to the acid (m.p. 262'. Anal. Found: C, 70.8; H, 4.9; N, 7.3; equiv. wt., 188) and decarboxylation to 1,2-dihydropyrrolo[3,2,l-h,i]indole (VII) (m.p. 76-77'. Anal. Found: C, 83.8; H, 6.1; N, 9.6). I n each case, the ultraviolet absorption was typical for a substituted indole and practicdly identical with that of the corresponding compound of the six-membered ring series (VIII).g
(2) B.Blomback and A. Vestermark, Arkiufor Kcmi, 12, 173 (1958). (3) P. S.Rasmussen. Biochim. Biophys. Acto, 16, 157 (1955). (4) W. H. Seegers and W. G. Levine, Seventh Ann. S y m p o r i r m on Blood, Wayne State University, Detroit, 1958. (5) K. Laki, Arch. Biochsm., 88, 317 (1951). (6) F. R . Bettelheim, Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 19, 121 (1956).
(1) This work was supported b y a research grant from the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education and Welfare (M1301). (2) Cf. E. Wenkert, B. S. Bernstein and I. H. Udelhofen, Tar8 JOURNAL, 80, 4899 (1958).
