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Abstract [N-Ac-Thr 1 ,D-Phe 2,D-Trp 3,6]-LHRH was the model antagonist of LHRH, which was the basis for tho design, synthesis and bioassay of seven peptides having four, five and six D-amino acids, which resulted from three single, three double, and one triple introductions of D-amino acids in positions 4, 5 and 8 of the model. Only the analog with six D-amino acids, [N-Ac-Thr 1,D-Phe 2 ,D-Trp 3,D-Ser 4, D-Tyr 5 ,D-Trp 6 ,D-Arg 8]-LHRH, had antiovulatory activity which was higher than that of the model antagonist, i.e., 70% antiovulatory activity at 25 μg/rat compared with 50% activity at 50 μg/rat, respectively. Empirical energy calculations gave a conformational structure for [N-Ac-Thr 1,D-Phe 2,D-Trp 3, D-Ser 4,D-Tyr 5,D-Arg 6,D-Arg 8]-LHRH which is similar to that calculated for previous potent antagonists. These results are a basis of new designs of antagonists having D-sub-stituents in up to ten positions toward effective inhibitors of ovulation by the parenteral and oral routes of administration.

Crystals of cytoplasmic (porcine liver) actin in complex with deoxyribonuclease I (DNAase I) were prepared for structural determination by X-ray-diffraction analysis. The crystallization of porcine liver actin-DNAase I complex is preceded by a brief treatment with immobilized trypsin, whereby a C-terminal tri- or di-peptide including cysteine-374 is removed from the actin without any noticeable degradation of both proteins as judged by sodium dodecyl-sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Analysis of the crystals obtained does not reveal any differences in the three-dimensional structure of porcine liver actin from its skeletal compartment at up to 0.6 nm resolution. However, in contrast with crystalline skeletal-muscle actin-DNAase I complex, heavy-atom substitution of crystals of porcine liver actin-DNAase I complex could not be achieved with methyl mercuriacetate. Evidence is presented that, in porcine liver actin, the N-terminal cysteine residue is not located at position no. 10, as in skeletal- and smooth-muscle actin, but most probably at position no. 17. Thus, because this site is covered by DNAase I, the cysteine becomes inaccessible to titration with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) after complex-formation with DNAase I.

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