Arginylalanylarginylalanyl-5'-uridylate, a nucleotide-peptide anhydride from brewers’ yeast

Abstract

Yeast has been found to contain a number of compounds which have, in common with amino-acid adenylates, the properties of ( a ) acylating hydroxylamine to form derivatives of hydroxamic acid, ( b ) containing a nucleotide residue, and ( c ) migrating towards the cathode on electrophoresis in buffer solution at pH 4·0. However, the new substances so far examined contain peptide rather than amino-acid moieties, and detailed structural examination of one of them has revealed it to be a 5'-phosphoanhydride derived from ( a ) 5'-uridylic acid and ( b ) the tetrapeptide, arginylalanylarginylalanine. The possible significance of these compounds, in relation to the biosynthesis of proteins and nucleic acids, is discussed.