Protamine

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Protamines are small, strongly basic protein compounds ( proteins ) that have been found in the cell nuclei of vertebrate sperm . The medicinal substance protamine is specially made from the protamines of some fish .

Protamines replace the histones during sperm formation ( spermatogenesis ) in the late haploid phase and enable particularly dense packing of the genetic information. Protamines are not found in somatic cells . In humans, the variants protamine-1 (PRM1) and protamine-2 (PRM2) are known.

Examples of protamines occurring in the sperm of fish species are clupein ( herrings , Clupeidae), salmin ( salmon , Salmonidae) and iridin ( rainbow trout , Salmo irideus ). These are peptide mixtures, the fractions of which are very similar and consist of about 30-35 amino acids per molecule (corresponding to a relative molar mass of about 5kDa), of which the basic L - arginine makes up a large part .

In other protamines, lysine and histidine are found as basic amino acids in addition to arginine. The isoelectric point is at pH 12–13.

Individual evidence

  1. V. Sonnack: Role of histone acetylation for the histone-protamine exchange during spermatogenesis in humans and mice. Inaugural dissertation, Justus Liebig University Gießen, Gießen 2007. [1]
  2. D. Lochmann: Self Assembly of Protamine-Based Oligonucleotide Nanoparticles . Dissertation, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt 2004.
  3. Entrez Gene at NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information)
  4. InterPro entry
  5. H. Rimpler (Ed.): Biogenic Medicines, 2., revised. Ed., Dt. Apotheker-Verlag 1999, ISBN 3-7692-2413-2 . P. 407
  6. K. Hardtke et al. (Ed.): Commentary on the European Pharmacopoeia Ph. Eur. 5.0, protamine sulfate. Loose-leaf collection, 22nd delivery 2005, Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttgart.