The amino acid sequence of a carbohydrate-containing immunoglobulin-light-chain-type amyloid-fibril protein

Abstract

The amino acid sequence of an amyloid-fibril protein Es492 of immunoglobulin-lambda-light-chain origin (AL) was elucidated. The amyloid fibrils were obtained from the spleen of a patient who died from systemic amyloidosis. The amino acid sequence was elucidated from structural studies of peptides derived from digestion of the protein with trypsin, thermolysin, chymotrypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase and from cleavage of the protein with CNBr and BNPS-skatole. A heterogeneity in the length of the polypeptide was seen in the C-terminal region. The protein was by sequence homology to other lambda-chains shown to be of the V lambda II subgroup. Although an extensive homology was seen, some amino acid residues in positions 26, 31, 32, 40, 44, 93, 97, 98 and 99 have not previously been reported in these positions of V lambda II proteins. The significance of these residues in the fibril formation is unclear. The protein was found to contain carbohydrate, with glycosylation sites in two of the hypervariable regions.