An Anecdotal Account of the History of Peptide Stepwise Degradation Procedures

Abstract

Quite apart from the vast amount of biochemical data it has put at our disposal, the stepwise degradation of peptides and proteins, whereby one amino acid at a time is selectively removed from one end of a polypeptide chain, ranks among the most elegant of chemical manipulations. Thus, the simple alteration of two sets of solution conditions can result in the singular and progressive removal of monomeric units from the peptidyl polymer with remarkable ease and assurance. Although I myself have been only peripherally involved in the field, I have long been fascinated by the simple majesty of the chemistry, as well as by the non-chemical circumstances surrounding the development of the method.