Acceleration of the rate of deamidation of GlyArgAsnArgGly and of human transferrin by addition of L-ascorbic acid.

Experiments on the model peptide, GlyArgAsnArgGly, and the protein, human transferrin, have shown that hydrolytic deamidation of these molecules is markedly accelerated by addition of physiologically significant concentrations of l-ascorbic acid. Since hydrolytic demidation has been suggested as an important timer of biological events, the effects on hydrolytic deamidation of substances that are normally present in living organisms and are subject to nutritional control are of special relevance.