Amino Acid Sequencing of Neuropeptides

The determination of the primary structure of peptides to-date has usually been carried out by automated amino acid sequencing involving Edman chemistry. This sensitive method is reliable, easy to perform, and the interpretation of the results is straightforward. However, other techniques such as mass spectrometry and enzymatic degradation are needed to confirm the sequence and/or to detect the posttranslational modifications. In this chapter, we will focus on the Edman degradation method, and describe the complementary methods as judged appropriate.