Abstract
The dissociation of tetra-S-carbamidomethylated, plasmin-modified human somatotropin at 25 .+-. 2.degree. C was a slow, exergonic equilibrium reaction; an equilibrium constant of 1.77 mol/l and a standard free energy of dissociation of -340 cal/mol have been calculated. The major products of the dissociation consist of a monomeric form of the 51-residue carboxyl-terminal fragment and a trimeric form of the 134-residue amino-terminal fragment. The carboxyl-terminal fragment appears to be a random coil, while the amino-terminal fragment retains a considerable degree of secondary and tertiary structures.