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An improved specific synthesis of N-epsilon-phospholysine is described. Phosphorylation under basic conditions of the copper chelate of L-lysine with phosphorus oxychloride and subsequent removal of the copper ion affords N-epsilon-phospholysine as the sole phosphorylated product. Similar treatment of L-arginine yields N-omega-phosphoarginine as the sole product which is identical to that produced enzymatically.

[8-Lysine]oxytocin was synthesized on a solid support and possessed an oxytocic activity of 100 +/- 6 units mumol on the isolated rat uterus. The epsilon-carbamoyl, epsilon-3-carboxypropionyl and epsilon-3-carboxybutryl derivatives were prepared and had uterotonic activities of 400, 55 and 50 units/mumol respectively. [8-Lysine]oxytocin was coupled unambiguously through the epsilon-amino group to the carboxyl groups of carboxymethylated dextrans or epsilon-3-carboxypropionly-gelatin. The macromolecular oxytocins were water-soluble and retained signigicant oxytocic activity. [8-Lysine]oxytocin should prove a useful ligand for affinity chromatography of oxytocin-binding proteins.

4-Arsono-2-nitrofluorobenzene reacts selectively at the anion binding site of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A. The major derivative is the inactive 41-(4-arsono-2-nitrophenyl) ribonuclease A (45% yield). Additional products are 1-alpha-(4-arsono-2-nitrophenyl) ribonuclease A (11% yield) which is enzymatically active and the disubstituted, inactive 1,41-bis-(4-arsono-2-nitrophenyl) ribonuclease A (25% yield). 2' (3')-O-Bromoacetyluridine reacts with 41-(4-arsono-2-nitrophenyl) ribonuclease A exclusively at the histidine-12 residue at a rate which is approximately one-fourth the rate observed with the unmodified enzyme. Saturation kinetics are observed and the dissociation constant for the protein-inhibitor complex is 0.096 +/- 0.023 M. The first-order unimolecular decomposition constant for complex breakdown is 8.9 +/- 2.9 X 10(-4) s-1. 2'-Bromoacetamido-2'-deoxyuridine reacts with 41-(4-arsono-2-nitrophenyl) ribonuclease A 25 times more slowly than 2'(3')-O-bromoacetyluridine. Bromoacetate reacts with 41-(4-arsono-2-nitrophenyl) ribonuclease A predominantly at the histidine-119 residue at a rate 45 times less than that found for the unmodified enzyme. The results of the alkylation studies imply that the dianionic arsonate does not occupy the phosphate binding site in the enzyme but is sufficiently proximate to account for a decrease in bromoacetate binding as well as a reduction in the nucleophilic reactivity of histidine-12 and -119. All these effects may be accounted for in terms of a local electrostatic perturbation of the active site region by the arsononitrophenyl group.

Pyruvate was shown to act as an oxo acid substrate in the reverse direction of saccharopine dehydrogenase [epsilon N-(L-glutaryl-2)-L-lysine: NAD oxidoreductase (L-lysine-forming)] reaction. The enzymic condensation product of lysine and pyruvate was isolated and identified as epsilon-N-(L-propionyl-2)-L-lysine by comparison with the synthetic compound. A method for the chemical preparation of diastereoisomers of epsilon-N-(propionyl-2)-L-lysine is also described.

The synthesis of lysine analogues wherein blocking groups are substituted at position 5, the site of hydroxylation by peptidyl lysine hydroxylase, is described. Thus, 5,5-difluorolysine (1) and 5,5-dimethylysine (2) were synthesized via a four- and six-step sequence, respectively, starting from ketone precursors. The propensity for these lysine analogues to be incorporated into procollagen protein in vivo was assessed by their ability to stimulate the lysine-dependent ATP-PPi exchange reaction in the presence of lysyl-tRNA ligase in vitro. The difluoro analogue 1 stimulated exchange, but at a Km (1.3 X 10(-3) M) 1000 times greater than that for lysine itself. The dimethyl analogue 2 did not stimulate exchange, but at high concentrations was a competitive inhibitor of lysine, with an apparent Ki of 1.6 X 10(-2) M. Thus, electronegative and/or bulky substituents at the 5 position of lysine cannot be tolerated by lysyl-tRNA ligase, and this position must be kept free in lysine analogues specifically designed to block collagen biosynthesis.

Isolation and structure elucidation of an acid-resistant fluorescent molecule from human extracellular matrix revealed the presence of an imidazo[4,5-b]pyridinium molecule comprising a lysine and an arginine residue cross-linked by a pentose. Structure confirmation was achieved in vitro by the nonenzymatic reaction of ribose with lysine and arginine residues. The cross-link, named pentosidine, could also be synthesized with isomers of ribose, arabinose, xylose, and lyxose as well as by incubating young human collagen with these sugars at 37 degrees C. Pentosidine was found in a variety of human tissues including plasma proteins and red blood cells. Its presence in cells grown in culture strongly suggests ribose or ribonucleotide metabolites as precursors. The unexpected discovery of pentose-mediated protein cross-linking raises new questions concerning the aging process.

A biotin-containing, thiol-specific reagent, 3-(N-maleimido-propionyl) biocytin (MPB), was synthesized and used to biotinylate various proteins via native or artificially induced sulfhydryl groups. In combination with appropriate avidin- or streptavidin-conjugated markers (i.e., fluorescent, enzyme-conjugated, electron-dense, etc.), MPB essentially constitutes a universal, multipurpose, thiol-specific probe. The reagent could be used to detect protein SH groups on dot blots with sensitivities in the femtomole range. The labeling was very specific for sulfhydryl groups or reduced S-S bonds; proteins lacking free SH groups were unlabeled by this method. Due to the long spacer between the biotinyl group and the reactive maleimide, improved adsorption of biotinylated proteins to avidin columns was achieved. An SH-containing enzyme (beta-galactosidase) was biotinylated with MPB, and the resultant biotinylated enzyme could be used as an efficient histochemical probe. The use of this reagent is recommended to biotinylate proteins which contain nonessential SH groups or which can be easily thiolylated prior to reaction with MPB.