ABSTRACT
The chemical synthesis of peptides has developed into a rapid, reliable, automated procedure available to an increasingly broad spectrum of investigators. The term polypeptide was proposed in 1906 by Emil Fischer to describe structures consisting of variable numbers of amino acids linked together by amide bonds. The structural information of a peptide is principally provided by the sequence of its amino acids. The method for simultaneous removal of amino acid side-chain protecting groups and cleavage of the bound peptide from its solid support is treatment with anhydrous liquid HF at low temperature in the presence of scavengers. Peptide hormones and neurotransmitters are recognized by specific cell surface receptors from the information residing in their individual amino acid sequences. The messages contained within the amino acid sequences of a peptide are not always, or even usually, separated neatly into domains for receptor binding and for the triggering of various biological actions.
