title: Change of cytochrome c structure during development of the mouse.
abstract: The structure of cytochrome c during mouse development is investigated. For this purpose the amino acid sequence of cytochrome c of the adult mouse had to be determined. The structure of cytochrome c of adult differentiated mouse cells differs in two amino acid residues from the known amino acid sequence of rabbit cytochrome c. No indication of different forms of cytochrome c in the adult differentiated cells was obtained. The structure of cytochrome c from 11.5-day-old mouse embryos is identical with that of adult mouse tissues. Since germ cells after meiotic division are the immediate precursors of a new individual, the structure of cytochrome c from sperm-containing mice testes was investigated. By means of chromatography of the cytochrome c and of peptide maps and amino acid analyses of its tryptic peptides, it is shown that mouse testis contains two isocytochromes c in about equal amount. The structure of one of these two isocytochromes c is identical with the structure of the adult-type cytochrome c of mouse. The testis-specific cytochrome c, which is assumed to be located in the sperm cells, differs in 13 of its 104 amino acid residues from the adult-type cytochrome c. From comparison of the primary and the spatial structures of the adult-type and the sperm-type isocytochromes c with the known structures of cytochrome c of more than 65 different species it is concluded that the duplication of the cytochrome c structural gene, causing the existence of the two ontogenetic-specific isocytochromes c in mouse, has occurred early in the evolution of eucaryotes.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009206:Myocardium / Q000201:enzymology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012737:Sex Factors; D013737:Testis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development; D014357:Trypsin
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014357:Trypsin