Amino acids normal phase

The amino acid composition of peptides is generally assayed by carrying out acid hydrolysis with 6 M hydrochloric acid, followed by determination of the individual amino acids by HPLC. Various types of HPLC have been employed to separate amino acids, but reversed-phase chromatography on Cigcoiumns is the most commonly system used. Detection of amino acids normally involves derivatization, since their maximum absorbance is at 214 nm in which many other compounds also can absorb. The most frequently used derivatizing agents are dansyl chloride, phenyl isothiocyanate and o-phthaldialdehyde. 

Chiral stationary phases in tic have been primarily limited to phases based on normal or microcrystalline cellulose (44,45), triacetylceUulose sorbents or siHca-based sorbents that have been chemically modified (46) or physically coated to incorporate chiral selectors such as amino acids (47,48) or macrocyclic antibiotics (49) into the stationary phase. 

For economical reasons the fermentation time should be as short as possible with a high yield of the amino acid at the end. A second reason not to continue the fermentation in the late stationary phase is the appearance of contaminant-products, which are often difficult to get rid off during the recovery stage. In general, a relatively short lag phase helps to achieve this. The lag phase can be shortened by using a higher concentration of seed inoculum. The seed is produced by growing the production strain in flasks and smaller fermenters. The volume of the seed inoculum is limited, as a rule of tumb normally 10% of the fermentation volume, to prevent dilution problems. 

Under normal feeding patterns the rate of tissue protein catabolism is more or less constant throughout the day it is only in cachexia that there is an increased rate of protein catabolism. There is net protein catabolism in the postabsorptive phase of the feeding cycle and net protein synthesis in the absorptive phase, when the rate of synthesis increases by about 20-25%. The increased rate of protein synthesis is, again, a response to insulin action. Protein synthesis is an energy-expensive process, accounting for up to almost 20% of energy expenditure in the fed state, when there is an ample supply of amino acids from the diet, but under 9% in the starved state. 

The analysis of amino acids involves chromatographic issues similar to those encountered in analysis of simple amines. Underivatized amino acids have, with a few exceptions, weak UV absorbance and a strong tendency to interact with stationary phases in undesirable ways. Underivatized amino acids are normally separated with ion exchange chromatography, then visualized post-column by reaction with ninhydrin, o-phthaladehyde (OPA), or other agents. Underivatized tryptophan and the metabolites kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine, kynurenic acid, and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, were separated on a Partisphere 5-p ODS column with fluorescent detection.121... 

Reverse-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) separates proteins on the basis of differences in their surface hydophobicity. The stationary phase in the HPLC column normally consists of silica or a polymeric support to which hydrophobic arms (usually alkyl chains, such as butyl, octyl or octadecyl groups) have been attached. Reverse-phase systems have proven themselves to be a particularly powerful analytical technique, capable of separating very similar molecules displaying only minor differences in hydrophobicity. In some instances a single amino acid substitution or the removal of a single amino acid from the end of a polypeptide chain can be detected by RP-HPLC. In most instances, modifications such as deamidation will also cause peak shifts. Such systems, therefore, may be used to detect impurities, be they related or unrelated to the protein product. RP-HPLC finds extensive application in, for example, the analysis of insulin preparations. Modified forms, or insulin polymers, are easily distinguishable from native insulin on reverse-phase columns. 

Chiral stationary phases for the separation of enantiomers (optically active isomers) are becoming increasingly important. Among the first types to be synthesized were chiral amino acids ionically or covalently bound to amino-propyl silica and named Pirkle phases after their originator. The ionic form is susceptable to hydrolysis and can be used only in normal phase HPLC whereas the more stable covalent type can be used in reverse phase separations but is less stereoselective. Polymeric phases based on chiral peptides such as bovine serum albumin or a -acid glycoproteins bonded to... 

In the third decade of this century, as the methods for detection and identification of single amino acids were improved, the number of observations showing the existence of these compounds in mine increased. Systematic investigations on this problem were, however, still lacking. The only exception was the studies of Kapeller-Adler et al. (FI, Kl, K2, K3), who demonstrated the existence of histidine in normal urine and found the correlation between the concentration of this amino acid and the different phases of pregnancy. Up to 1940 the problem of free and combined amino acids in mine was in fact passed over. 

Since amino acids and nucleotides are all polar and hydrophilic, they will be eluted quickly by the column. The mobile phase (see below) is also selected on the basis of polarity, with a medium- to high-polarity solvent required. The opposite of reverse phase chromatography is normal phase, where the column packing is medium to high polarity and the mobile phase is nonpolar. This technology is generally not applied to the analysis of polar molecules such as amino acids or nucleotides. Some peptides are more hydrophobic, making this method potentially more useful for peptides than for amino acids or nucleotides. 

Additional modes of HPTC include normal phase, where the stationary phase is relatively polar and the mobile phase is relatively nonpolar. Silica, diol, cyano, or amino bonded phases are typically used as the stationary phase and hexane (weak solvent) in combination with ethyl acetate, propanol, or butanol (strong solvent) as the mobile phase. The retention and separation of solutes are achieved through adsorp-tion/desorption. Normal phase systems usually show better selectivity for positional isomers and can provide orthogonal selectivity compared with classical RPLC. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC), first reported by Alpert in 1990, is potentially another viable approach for developing separations that are orthogonal to RPLC. In the HILIC mode, an aqueous-organic mobile phase is used with a polar stationary phase to provide normal phase retention behavior. Typical stationary phases include silica, diol, or amino phases. Diluted acid or a buffer usually is needed in the mobile phase to control the pH and ensure the reproducibility of retention times. The use of HILIC is currently limited to the separation of very polar small molecules. Examples of applications... 

During starvation, the response of the immnne system to infection is slow and the peak level of antibodies is lower than normal, increasing snsceptibility to disease. This is probably caused by a decrease in the plasma levels of all amino acids which are reqnired not only for protein synthesis, when cells proliferate, bnt also for prodnction of cytokines and acnte phase proteins. Synthesis of glntamine from branched-chain amino acids is also necessary to maintain a snpply of this important... 

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