Identification of collagen chains as a function of cyanogen bromide peptide patterns using gel permeation high-performance liquid chromatography.

A gel permeation high-performance liquid chromatography system utilizing commercially-available silica-based gels has been developed for evaluation of the cyanogen bromide cleavage products derived from collagen a chains. The high efficiency and precision of the system permits unequivocal identification of various chains by inspection of the peptide elution pattern following a single run requiring 40 minutes. The system is sufficiently sensitive to permit analyses to be performed with as little 1.0 microgram of sample, although the columns utilized may accommodate samples as large as 1.0 mg making the system useful for preparative purposes as well.