Two homologous sulfur-rich basic polypeptides form wheat endosperm, so-called y,-purothionin and y,-purothionin, are described. Purification involves extraction with volatile solvents and ammonium bicarbonate fractionation followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The complete primary structure of these two polypeptides has been determined by automatic degradation of the intact, S-carboxymethylated y-purothionins and peptides obtained by enzymatic cleavage. y,-Purothionin and y,-purothionin consist of 47 amino acids with an assessed molecular weight of 5239 and 5151 Da, respectively and 8 cysteines organ&J in 4 disulfide bridges. They present a high degree of homology among themselves (89% of identity) and are the first two thionin-like polypeptides, so-called y-thionins, described from wheat endospemt.Wheat thionin; Amino acid sequence; y-Purothionin

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Caffeine, an unspecific antagonist of adenosine receptors, is commonly used to treat the apnea of prematurity. We have defined the effects of caffeine on the carotid body (CB) chemoreceptors, the main peripheral controllers of breathing, and identified the adenosine receptors involved.