A novel peptide isomerase was purified from the venom of funnel web spider, Agelenopsis aperta. The complete primary structure of the isomerase has been established by sequence analyses of polypeptide chains, assignments of disulfide bridges, carbohydrate analyses, and mass spectrometry of sugar chains. The isomerase was found to be a 29-kDa polypeptide that consists of an 18-residue light chain and a 243-residue heavy chain connected by a single disulfide bridge. The heavy chain contains three intramolecular disulfide bridges and one N-linked oligosaccharide chain with a simple trimannosyl core structure. A sequence homology search showed a significant similarity of the enzyme with serine proteases, particularly around a putative catalytic triad of the isomerase. The isomerase specifically interconverts the configuration of Ser46 of a 48-amino-acid peptide, omega-agatoxin-TK, and the conversion rate from L-Ser to D-Ser was approximately two times faster than the reverse reaction.

The complete amino acid sequence of sialic acid binding lectin from frog (Rana catesbeiana) egg is presented. The 111-residue sequence was determined by the analysis of peptides generated by digestion of the S-carboxymethylated protein with Achromobacter protease I, chymotrypsin, or cyanogen bromide. The sequence is unique and not homologous to any known protein sequence. The protein may represent a new type of lectin.

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