pubmed:abstractText |
The serum thymic factor (FTS) used in synthetic or natural form, loses its biological activity after passage on a chelating agent, Chelex 100. Such activity is recovered after addition of zinc and, to a lesser degree, of certain other metals. FTS activation is secondary to zinc binding to the peptide. These results indicate the existence of two FTS forms: the first one, deprived of zinc and biologically inactive, the second one containing zinc and biologically active, for which we purpose to coin the name of thymulin.
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