A COLLAGEN LIKE COMPOUND ISOLATED FROM BOVINE SPINAL CORD—I

IN recent years, interest has been focused on the chemistry of the central nervous system. The available information reflects a rather uneven picture, because the lipids have been studied in great detail, whereas the proteins, which constitute about 30 to 40 per cent of the solid material, according to MCILWAIN (1955), are described rather as ill-defined fractions, instead of well charicterized compounds. Exceptions to this statement are the conjugated proteins isolated by FOLCH and co-workers, FOLCH arid LEES (1951), LEBARON and FOLCH (1956), PORTER and FOLCH (1957). In our effort to isolate the allergic encephalomyelitic agent from nerve tissue, bovine spinal cord was extracted with various organic solvents and the extracts and the residue examined for activity. It was found that the lipid-free residue which contains the proteins is highly active (KIES, ROBOZ and ALVORD, 1956). Therefore, this residue was further investigated. Preliminary tests indicated that one of the active fractions was a collagen-like compound, referred to as C.L. protein. This report describes the isolation, purification and characterization of this protein. Studies on its biological activity are presented in Part IT.