The short version of PTMA gene fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
This page was last updated on 2026-05-20 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
Thymosin alpha 1 is a short peptide first isolated from bovine thymus tissue in the early 1970s during fractionation work aimed at identifying factors that influence T cell development. It belongs to a family of acidic thymic peptides, and the original preparations contained several components that were later separated by chromatography. The compound is now produced synthetically rather than extracted from tissue, which removes batch variability tied to animal sourcing. Researchers describe it as an immunomodulatory peptide because laboratory studies show effects on several cell types of the innate and adaptive immune systems.
The molecule consists of 28 amino acid residues with an acetyl group attached to the N-terminal serine. Its sequence is acidic overall, with several glutamic and aspartic acid residues distributed along the chain and no cysteine, so disulfide bridges do not form. The peptide carries a net negative charge at physiological pH. Because the N-terminus is blocked, the intact molecule resists degradation by many aminopeptidases, which contributes to its stability in biological fluids.
The peptide is generated in cells by cleavage of prothymosin alpha, a larger acidic protein encoded by the PTMA gene. Prothymosin alpha is expressed in many tissues, not only in the thymus, and its functions include nuclear roles in chromatin-related processes. The 28-residue fragment corresponds to the N-terminal portion of that precursor. How the cleavage occurs and how the fragment's concentration is regulated remain open questions; circulating amounts are small and difficult to measure reliably with routine assays.
Lyophilized material is generally held at reduced temperature to slow degradation, and storage at minus twenty degrees Celsius or lower is common practice for long-term retention. Short-term working portions are often kept between two and eight degrees Celsius. Once dissolved, the peptide is less stable than the dry powder, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles are associated with loss of material and with aggregate formation. Vials are usually allowed to reach room temperature before opening so that condensation does not introduce moisture, and solutions are protected from light where practical.
Identity and purity are assessed mainly by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, which separates the peptide from closely related impurities and from truncated or oxidized variants. Mass spectrometry supplies the molecular mass and confirms the expected sequence length, while amino acid analysis can be used to check composition. Because the molecule has no chromophore beyond the peptide backbone, ultraviolet detection is typically performed at a low wavelength, where baseline interference from solvents and buffers is a practical concern. Water content and counter-ion content are often reported alongside purity.
Practical handling focuses on limiting adsorption and contamination. The peptide dissolves readily in water, and dilute solutions tend to adhere to plastic and glass surfaces, so an inert carrier protein or a defined buffer can reduce losses in laboratory work. Workers also record the counter-ion form, since an acetate or trifluoroacetate salt changes the mass balance of the weighed powder. Documentation of lot number, purity value, and storage history supports reproducibility when results from different laboratories are compared.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Acetylated peptide | N-terminal acetyl group blocks aminopeptidase attack |
| Residue count | 28 amino acids | Matches the N-terminus of prothymosin alpha |
| Molecular mass | About 3,108 Da | Value for the free, unmodified peptide |
| Isoelectric point | Approximately 4.2 | Acidic; net negative charge at neutral pH |
| Encoding gene | PTMA | Human gene for the precursor protein |
== Mass spectrometry == Generally this topic is discussed when covering mass spectrometry and occurs generally by the same mechanisms. To neutralize the positive charge on the ionization site a single two-electron transfer must be made. Neutralization of the positive charge at the ionization site is performed at the expense of the atom adjacent to the ionization site, transferring the positive charge to this atom as a result of the bond cleavage.
=== Pharmacokinetics === Due to the presence of its C17α methyl group, methylestradiol cannot be deactivated by oxidation of the C17β hydroxyl group, resulting in improved metabolic stability and potency relative to estradiol. This is analogous to the case of ethinylestradiol and its C17α ethynyl group.
As of July 2024, lisdexamfetamine is the only pharmacotherapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Therapeutic Goods Administration for BED. Evidence indicates that its effectiveness in treating BED may be partially due to a psychopathological overlap with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a cognitive-control disorder that also benefits from treatment with lisdexamfetamine. Medical reviews of randomized controlled trials have established that lisdexamfetamine, administered at doses between 50 and 70 mg, is safe and effective for treating BED. These reviews consistently report fewer weekly binge eating episodes. Furthermore, a meta-analytic systematic review included a 12-month study showing the medication was effective for a long period of time. Two reviews have found lisdexamfetamine to be superior to placebo in several secondary outcomes, including persistent binge eating cessation and reductions in obsessive-compulsive binge eating symptoms, body weight, and triglycerides. Lisdexamfetamine is a pharmacologically inert prodrug that confers its therapeutic effects for BED after conversion to its active metabolite, dextroamphetamine, which acts in the central nervous system. Dextroamphetamine increases the availability of dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex, which makes major decision-making for the body. Lisdexamfetamine, like all pharmaceutical amphetamines, possesses direct appetite suppressant effects, which may be therapeutically beneficial for BED and its associated comorbidities.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Agmatine, also known as 4-aminobutyl-guanidine, was discovered in 1910 by Albrecht Kossel. It is a chemical substance which is naturally created from the amino acid arginine. Agmatine has been shown to exert modulatory action at multiple molecular targets, notably: neurotransmitter systems, ion channels, nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, and polyamine metabolism and this provides bases for further research into potential pharmacological applications.
=== Protein fold === A protein fold refers to the general protein architecture, like a helix bundle, β-barrel, Rossmann fold or different "folds" provided in the Structural Classification of Proteins database. A related concept is protein topology.
Superheated water is liquid water under pressure at temperatures between the usual boiling point, 100 °C (212 °F) and the critical temperature, 374 °C (705 °F). It is also known as "subcritical water" or "pressurized hot water". Superheated water is stable because of overpressure that raises the boiling point, or by heating it in a sealed vessel with a headspace, where the liquid water is in equilibrium with vapour at the saturated vapor pressure. This is distinct from the use of the term superheating to refer to water at atmospheric pressure above its normal boiling point, which has not boiled due to a lack of nucleation sites (sometimes experienced by heating liquids in a microwave). Many of water's anomalous properties are due to very strong hydrogen bonding. Over the superheated temperature range the hydrogen bonds break, changing the properties more than usually expected by increasing temperature alone. Water becomes less polar and behaves more like an organic solvent such as methanol or ethanol. Solubility of organic materials and gases increases by several orders of magnitude and the water itself can act as a solvent, reagent, and catalyst in industrial and analytical applications, including extraction, chemical reactions and cleaning.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
. These are the number of people in the susceptible, infected and removed categories at time equals zero. If the SIR model is assumed to hold at all times, these initial conditions are not independent. Subsequently, the flow model updates the three variables for every time point with set values for
Halim, Adilla Nur; Abdul Rani, Aidatul Azura; et al. (Kadri, Rozeeda; Abdul Aziz, Farhana; Ridzuan, Mohd Naufal; Hassan, Ali Noor; Wazir, Maznah; Arzeni, Lydiawati) (2017). Amalan Perubatan Tradisional Melayu bagi Penjagaan Ibu-Ibu Selepas Bersalin di Negeri Kelantan [Traditional Malay Medical Practices for Postpartum Maternal Care in Kelantan] (PDF) (in Malay). Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practice Branch, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Division, Ministry of Health of Malaysia. pp. 1–90. ISBN 978-983-44782-9-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2025. Mazliadiyana, M; Nazrun, AS; Isa, NM (2017). "Optimum Dose of Sea Cucumber (Stichopus Chloronotus) Extract for Wound Healing" (PDF). Med & Health. 12 (1): 83–89. doi:10.17576/MH.2017.1201.09. Devi Oktaviani, Paramita; Wahjuningsih, Endah; Andriani, Dwi (2018). "Efektivitas Suplementasi Teripang Emas (Stichopus Hermanii) Dalam Mencegah Terjadinya Oral Candidiasis Pada Tikus Wistar" [Effectivity of Stichopus hermanii Supplementation to Prevent Oral Candidiasis on Rats]. Denta (Jurnal Kedokteran Gigi) (in Indonesian). 12 (1): 9–15. doi:10.30649/denta.v12i1.155. ISSN 1907-5987. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Text is licensed by DENTA (Journal Kedokteran Gigi) under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Hafiz Leong, Muhamad Nur; Mohd Fauzi, Noor Akhmazillah; Rahim Kamarudin, Kamarul; Mohamed Rehan, Aisyah (2021). "Investigation of Bioactive Compounds from Sea Cucumber Extract and Stingless Bee Honey Using Critical Literature Review and Bioinformatics Approach for Potential Synergy Combination".
Aflatoxin B1 and B2 (AFB), produced by A. flavus and A. parasiticus Aflatoxin G1 and G2 (AFG), produced by some Group II A. flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), metabolite of aflatoxin B1 in humans and animals (exposure in ng levels may come from a mother's milk) Aflatoxin M2, metabolite of aflatoxin B2 in milk of cattle fed on contaminated foods Aflatoxicol (AFL): metabolite produced by breaking down the lactone ring Aflatoxin Q1 (AFQ1), major metabolite of AFB1 in in vitro liver preparations of other higher vertebrates AFM, AFQ, and AFL retain the possibility of becoming an epoxide. Nevertheless, they appear much less capable of causing mutagenesis than the unmetabolized ABM.
=== Chemical descriptor based === In this approach, descriptors quantifying various electronic, geometric, or steric properties of a molecule are computed and used to develop a QSAR. This approach is different from the fragment (or group contribution) approach in that the descriptors are computed for the system as whole rather than from the properties of individual fragments. This approach is different from the 3D-QSAR approach in that the descriptors are computed from scalar quantities (e.g., energies, geometric parameters) rather than from 3D fields. An example of this approach is the QSARs developed for olefin polymerization by half sandwich compounds.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Thymosin fraction 5 is a mixture of many peptides obtained from thymus tissue, while thymosin alpha 1 is a single defined 28-residue molecule. The two names appear together in older literature because the purified peptide was first obtained from that mixture.
The precursor, prothymosin alpha, is encoded by the PTMA gene in humans. The 28-residue peptide corresponds to the N-terminal segment released from that larger protein.
It is produced as a fragment of prothymosin alpha and is present in many tissues. Circulating concentrations are low, which makes routine measurement difficult.
Cool storage below freezing is usual for long-term retention, with a desiccant and protection from light. Portions are often split before first use to avoid repeated handling.