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The Core of the Insulin Molecule

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Abstract

ON account of its stability and well-defined crystalline character, insulin is a favourable point at the present time to attack protein structure. Its composition is probably better known than that of any other protein. The stoichiometrical molecular weight, that is, the least Weight into which all the analytical values can be fitted, is 12,000, indicating a comparatively simple character1. Recent researches2 show that the most prevalent molecule in aqueous solution has a molecular weight approximately four times as great, dissociating somewhat in acid and moderately alkaline solutions. The facts, therefore, suggest that the basic unit of insulin is a molecule of molecular Weight 12,000. X-ray analysis has indicated that three of these units form the unit cell in crystals3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. S. A. Courtauld Institute of Biochemistry, Middlesex Hospital, London

    J. A. V. BUTLER, D. M. P. PHILLIPS &  J. M. L. STEPHEN

Authors
  1. J. A. V. BUTLER
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  2. D. M. P. PHILLIPS
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  3. J. M. L. STEPHEN
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BUTLER, J., PHILLIPS, D. & STEPHEN, J. The Core of the Insulin Molecule. Nature 162, 418–419 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/162418a0

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