PURIFICATION AND N-TERMINAL SEQUENCE OF BETA-TRACE, A PROTEIN ABUNDANT IN HUMAN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID

Beta-Trace, a protein that represents a major constituent of human cer ebrospinal fluid with unknown function has been purified to apparent h omogeneity by gel chromatography and electrophoresis. After sodium dod ecylsulfate electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels (SDS-PAGE) and West ern blotting, the N-terminal sequence (28 amino acids) has been determ ined. The high degree of identity with the corresponding sequences of prostaglandin D synthetase from rat (68%) and human (93%) suggests a s trong relationship if not identity with this enzyme. Thus, 30 years af ter its discovery beta-trace might unravel as a well-known protein of the prostaglandin metabolism.