Dissolution of noncovalently bonded fibrin in the presence of bromide ions

Two peaks were demonstrated after gel chromatography on Sepharose 6-B of noncovalently bonded firbrin dissolved in 1 M NaBr at pH 5.3. One was eluted at the void volume while the other one was eluted at the elution volume of fibrinogen. Both fractions were stable during rechromatography. The fraction eluted at the void volume was highly heterogeneous and consisted of noncovalently bonded aggregates of fibrin monomer units. Our experiments indicate that these high molecular weight derivatives develop during dissolution of fibrin in NaBr solution. The possible explanation of these results is discussed.