Decrease of a peptide in the cat spinal cord after upper cervical transection.

The effects of a transection on the peptide contents in the cat cervical spinal cord have been investigated. Seven days following the hemisection at the C1 level, the C5-8 levels of the spinal cord were used for the biochemical analyses. A crude peptide extract was fractionated on a Sephadex G-15 column. The third major peak which contained smaller molecular weight peptides was collected and separated with a peptide map on the cellulose TLC plate. Three ninhydrin-positive and two ninhydrin-negative peptides were found on the TLC plate. When we compared between the operated side and the control side, a ninhydrin-negative peptide, whose acid hydrolysate was composed of glutamic acid and aspartic acid in a ratio of 1:2, was decreased by approximately 30% in the operated side of the spinal cord.