Amino acids, peptides, and proteins of Irish Moss, Chondrus crispus
Young, E.G.; Smith, D.G.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 233(2): 406-410
1958
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-9258 PMID: 13563510 Accession: 029990909
The dried red alga was extracted with aqueous ethanol and the extract was shown to contain many common amino acids, especially arginine, citrulline, glutamic acid, and taurine. The presence of simple peptides which contained arginine, citrulline, glycine, threonine, and ornithnine was demonstrated chromatographically. Extraction with saline-borate buffer, pH 8.4, dissolved about 70% of the total N in the plant, of which 80% was dialyzable. Complex peptides and traces of albumin and globulin-like proteins were demonstrated in this extract. About 25% of the protein N was held firmly in the insoluble residue and could not be solubilized. The distribution of amino acids in this residue indicated absence of citrulline and ornithine, much arginine, and marked similarity to other algal proteins.