James C. KauerS, S. Erickson-Viitanen, H. Wolfe
Aug 15, 1986
Citations
7
Influential Citations
180
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
The Journal of biological chemistry
Abstract
A new photoreactive amino acid analog, p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine, is described. Convenient methods for the preparation of this amino acid and its subsequent incorporation into synthetic peptides by the solid-phase technique are outlined. To illustrate its utility, p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine was substituted in place of tryptophan in a 17-residue calmodulin-binding peptide. The substitution did not measurably affect the affinity of this peptide for calmodulin. When this peptide was photolyzed at 350 nm in a 1:1 molar ratio with calmodulin in the presence of 500 microM CaCl2, 70% of the calmodulin was derivatized. The specificity of the reaction was investigated by photolysis in the absence of CaCl2 where little binding occurs; under these conditions little or no photolabeling occurred.