연구논문 : 아무르 불가사리(Asterias amurensis)의 관족으로부터 신경성 펩타이드의 분리 및 정제

Two neuropeptides were purified from the acidified tube feet extract of the starfish Asterias amurensis by C18 re- versed phase and size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The tube feet extract and the purified peptides (AST-I and AST-II) showed potent contractile activity on dorsal retractor muscle (DRM) of the starfish Asterina pectinifera and intestine (smooth muscle) of the panther puffer Takifugu pardalis. Treatment of the purified peptides with dithiothreitol (DTT) for 60 min at 37°C significantly altered their retention times, suggesting that these compounds contained disulfide bonds. The molecular weights of AST-I and AST-II were determined to be 2064.2 Da and 6137.2 Da, respectively, by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.