Amino acid sequence of the unique protamine from yellow perch.

By the criteria of gel electrophoresis, ion-exchange chromatography, and reverse-phase HPLC, yellow perch protamine behaves as a single component. This observation was confirmed by automated Edman degradation which gave a single unambiguous amino acid sequence PRRRRHAARPVRRRRRTRRSSRVHRRRRAVRRRR. Yellow perch protamine has 34 amino acids, including 21 arginines. It has two histidines, neither of which interrupts an arginine tract. It is unusual among fish protamines in not having a serine or threonine N-terminal to the second arginine tract, and is unique in not being a mixture of components.