The amino acid sequences of goat, pig and wallaby osteocalcins

The amino acid sequences of osteocalcins from cortical long bones of goat, pig and wallaby have been determined by manual microsequencing methods. The location of the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues were identified by N-terminal degradation of peptides in which these residues had been tritium-labelled in the gamma-H position and subsequently thermally decarboxylated to glutamic acid residues. Glutamic-17 is not gamma-carboxylated in wallaby osteocalcin, unlike other osteocalcins so far sequenced (except human). This may be related to sequence changes in the flanking residues. Proline-9 is fully hydroxylated in wallaby osteocalcin, despite the sequence substitution Ala-8----Phe-8.