title: The identification of the N tau-methyl histidine-containing dipeptide, balenine, in muscle extracts from various mammals and the chicken.
abstract: The occurrence of the dipeptide, balenine (beta-alanyl-N tau-methyl histidine), has been identified by comparative chromatography in extracts of muscles from 9 species of mammal, including man, and the chicken. The identity of the dipeptide from 6 mammalian species and chicken was confirmed by preparative isolation prior to determination of the amino acid composition and N-terminal residue. In all cases, the dipeptide contained equimolar amounts of beta-alanine and N tau-methyl histidine with beta-alanine as the N-terminus. The concentration of the dipeptide varied dramatically between species, being just detectable in the muscle of man and rat while present at concentrations of up to 14 mumol/g wet muscle in adult pigs. It is proposed that balenine, like carnosine and anserine, should be regarded as a normal constituent of muscle.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D003670:Deer; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006639:Histidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006736:Horses; D008297:Male; D008762:Methylhistidines / Q000032:analysis*; D009132:Muscles / Q000032:analysis*; D011817:Rabbits; D012756:Sheep; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D008762:Methylhistidines; C028119:N(beta)-alanyl-1-methyl-histidine; D006639:Histidine; C028118:3-methylhistidine