The amino acid sequence of rabbit slow-muscle troponin I

Troponin I was isolated from six red muscles in the hind leg of the rabbit. Soleus, semi-tendinosus, vastus intermedius and adductor longus muscles contained primarily slow-muscle troponin I, vastus lateralis contained fast-muscle troponin I and quadratus femoris contained a mixture of the two. The complete amino acid sequence of the troponin I from slow muscle was determined. Seven CNBr fragments were isolated and sequenced by using the dansyl-Edman technique after digestion with proteolytic enzymes. The CNBr fragments were ordered by isolation of tryptic peptides containing carboxy[(14)C]methyl-methionine. Direct evidence for the conjunction of residues 8 and 9 has not been obtained, and one of the carboxyl groups between residues 71 and 79 may carry an amide group. Slow-muscle troponin I is a single polypeptide chain of 184 residues with a mol.wt. of 21146. It has a net overall positive charge of 18 at pH7, and an absorption coefficient, A(1%,1cm) (280), of 5.43. The protein was isolated with both a blocked and an unblocked N-terminus, although the nature of the blocking group was not determined. Proline was found to be the N-terminal amino acid. Two forms of the protein could also be distinguished by the presence of an extra two residues at the C-terminus. Comparison of sequences of troponin I from rabbit slow, fast and cardiac muscle shows that homology is most marked in the C-terminal half of the molecules. Towards the N-terminus the homology becomes much less marked. Detailed evidence on which the sequence is based has been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50079 (32 pages) at the British Library (Lending Division), Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies may be obtained in the terms given in Biochem. J. (1977), 161, 1.