Action of Ascorbic Acid on a Myosin Molecule Derived from Carp

Abstract

The influence of L-ascorbic acid at 40 °C incubation on the subfragment-1 and rod regions, prepared by chymotryptic digestion of myosin, and myosin was investigated by SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transmission electron microscopy respectively. It was observed that L-ascorbic acid acted more readily on the subfragment-1 region of myosin. Further, circular dichroism measurement indicated that L-ascorbic acid did not affect the structure of myosin. These results suggest that L-ascorbic acid acts more readily on the myosin subfragment-1 region and promotes the gelation of myosin without producing a conformational change in this protein.