The complete primary structure of abrin-a B chain.

The complete 267 amino acid sequence of abrin-a B chain was determined by analysis of peptides obtained by digestion with trypsin, chymotrypsin, lysyl endopeptidase, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and thermolysin. The sequence is not identical with that predicted previously by nucleotide sequencing, indicating the presence of isoforms of abrin. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of abrin-a B chain with that of ricin-D B chain reveals a high degree of sequence identity (59%). Abrin-a B chain appears to consist of two domains, each domain with subdomains (alpha, beta, gamma) of about 40 amino acid residues.