Chromophoric peptides for detecting peptidylglycine-.alpha.-amidizing monooxygenase

Abstract

A chromophoric peptide is prepared of the formula DIS--D--Ala-Pro-R and salts thereof in which R represents Gly-OH, NH.sub.2 or Gly-R.sup.2 wherein R.sup.2 denotes a carboxyl protective group, and DIS denotes 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl. The enzyme, peptidylglycine-.alpha.-amidizing monooxygenase, is quantitatively detected by contacting a sample containing the enzyme with the peptide of the above formula when R denotes Gly--OH, separating a resultant peptide of the above formula when R denotes NH.sub.2 and determining the amount thereof quantitatively. When R is Gly--R.sup.2, the protective group R.sup.2 is removed to produce the peptide when R is Gly--OH. Advantages of the peptide are that C-terminal degradation caused by carboxypeptidases is rendered more difficult by the incorporation of proline, and the peptide contains a fluorescent group.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.