The amino acid sequences of mouse brain Thy-1 glycoproteins are shown to be homologous to those of variable-region immunoglobulin domains. There is also good homology with constant domains and β ₂ -microglobulin; overall the results suggest that Thy-1 may be like the primordial immunoglobulin domain. Preliminary evidence for an invertebrate Thy-1 homolog supports this possibility.

Ovalbumin mRNA was translated in a reticulocyte lysate. The primary translation product starts with methionine derived from Met-tRNAf. When the nascent polypeptide is about 20 residues long, this methionine is removed. The new NH2-terminal glycine is acetylated from acetyl-CoA when the polypeptide is 44 residues long. The sequence of 35 residues at the NH2 terminus of ovalbumin was determined by automated Edman degradation after a method was devised to prevent acetylation during protein synthesis in the reticulocyte lysate. This sequence is the same as that of secreted ovalbumin and does not resemble the transient "signal peptides" associated with most secretory proteins, including three other egg white proteins synthesized in the same cells as ovalbumin.

The full sequence of the Thy-1 membrane glycoprotein of rat brain is reported. The sequence was determined from tryptic and V-8 proteinase peptides and consisted of 111 amino acids. The amino terminus was blocked and consisted of a pyroglutamic acid residue. The molecule contained two disulphide bonds, namely Cys-9--Cys-111 and Cys-19--Cys-85. Three N-linked amino sugars were located at Asn-23, Asn-74 and Asn-98. In each case the sequence on the C-terminal side of the attachment point was Asn-Xaa-Thr as would be expected for N-linkage. The C-terminal peptides were unusual, in that they were either obtained in a highly aggregated form, or could only be purified after binding to Brij 96 micelles. Thus they appeared to have hydrophobic properties, yet did not contain any extended sequence of hydrophobic amino acids. Other unusual features of the C-terminal peptides were the presence of unidentified ninhydrin-positive material and of glucosamine and galactosamine. The C-terminal residue has not been directly identified but Cys-111 is the last conventional amino acid. It is suggested that the hydrophobic properties of the C-terminal peptides may be due to the linkage of lipid. The sequence of the Thy-1 glycoprotein showed homologies with immunoglobulin domains. This relationship is examined in detail in the paper following [Cohen et al. (1981) Biochem. J. 193, 000--000].