The whey proteins of the milk of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.). A homologue of bovine beta-lactoglobulin.

1. The whey proteins from the milk of red deer are compared with those of cattle. Gel chromatography and electrophoresis showed a close similarity between the whey proteins of the two species in the size, mobility and relative amounts of the main constituents and in the changes in their relative amounts with time after parturition. 2. The major constituent of the deer whey was isolated. It appeared to be homologous with bovine beta-lactoglobulin and had the following properties: m=-5.2X10(-9)m2-s-1-V-1 at 4 degrees C and pH 8.6; pI=5.17; S020, w =2.89S; v=0.748 ml/g; E1g/dl 1cm= 9.12 at 278 nm; deltan/c=1.794 X 10(-3)dl/g at 579 nm (all at 20 degrees C except m). Its molecular weight was that of a dimer with a subunit weight of 18 000. 3. Amino acid analyses of this protein, adjusted to lysine = 15 residues showed that it contains one more residue of aspartic acid, alanine and methionine and one less glutamic acid residue and two less leucine residues than bovine beta-lactoglobulin A. 4. On starch-gel electrophoresis at pH 8.2, this protein migrated at the same rate as bovine beta-lactoglobulin B, although its isoelectric point is close to that of the bovine A variant. Milk from three out of 27 hinds examined showed a variant. This migrated in starch gel at the same rate as the bovine A variant but had a more acid pI = 5.02. 5. The two species whose milk whey proteins are compared represent two different families of ruminants. The similarities found support the view that the milk whey proteins of the bovids are probably typical of the suborder as a whole.