An assembly is illustrated for use in connection with a main cylinder and the like wherein an annular shroud has a segmental portion of reduced thickness for providing a ledge type bearing surface for support and securement directly to a frame, the shroud also having a bearing receiving recess so that the cylinder mounting shaft may be supported within the shroud. The bearing has a pair of parallel inserts, spaced on each side of the shaft, having thickened inner portions for engaging the inner race of the bearing for removing the bearing while the cylinder is carried within the frame. The shroud provides an arcuate mounting surface for positioning stationary card flats facilitating the provision of means for resiliently carrying the flats yieldably urging them downwardly while permitting adjustment of the settings.

Human CGRP (calcitonin-gene-related peptide) has the formula: H-Ala-Cys-Asn-Thr-Ala-Thr-Cys-Val-Thr-His-Arg-Leu-Ala-Gly-Leu-Leu-Ser-Arg- Ser-Gly-Gly-Val-Val-Lys-Asn-Asn-Phe-Val-Pro-Thr-Asn-Val-Gly-Ser-Lys-Ala-Phe -NH.sub.2. Human CGRP or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, dispersed in a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid or solid carrier, can be administered to mammals, including humans, to influence memory, mood and pain appreciation and to achieve a substantial lowering of blood pressure or gastric acid secretion over an extended period of time. They also may be administered to affect ingestion behavior, taste and sensory perception. By using human CGRP to generate production of antibodies, it should be possible to diagnose human medullary thyroid carcinoma via immunoassay techniques.

Described are peptides that have, as partial sequence of a larger peptide, or exclusively, the amino acid sequence of the formula I ##STR1## in which the cysteine residues can form intra- or inter-molecular disulphide bridges, and derivatives thereof having an amidated terminal carboxy group and/or an acylated terminal amino group, and their salts, DNA sequences that code for the mentioned peptides, micro-organisms that contain these DNA sequences, processes for the manufacture thereof, pharmaceutical preparations that contain the mentioned peptides in the form of their amides, and the use of these peptide-amides for the treatment of coronary circulation disorders and bone metabolism disorders.

Purified enzymatic compositions are provided having alpha-amidating enzymes capable of catalyzing the conversion of a peptidyl compound having a C-terminal glycine residue to a corresponding peptidyl amide having an amino group in place of the C-terminal glycine. The purified compositions have specific activities above 25 mU per mg protein and are sufficiently free of proteases to allow effective catalysis of even peptidyl compounds having L-amino acids. Biologically important alpha-amidated products such as calcitonin and other regulatory hormones are efficiently produced using the alpha-amidation reaction catalyzed by the enzymes. Purification by size exclusion chromatography in combination with strong anion exchange chromatography results in homogeneous enzyme species which are used to prepare antibodies specific for the alpha-amidating enzyme. A gene capable of expressing the alpha-amidating enzyme is ligated into an expression vector and transformed into a host cell capable of expressing the gene.

A process for the production of a physiologically active peptide (a target peptide) containing cysteine residue, comprising the steps of: (1) culturing Escherichia coli transformed with a plasmid capable of expressing a fusion protein under control of a promoter of E. coli origin or a promoter of a phage origin, wherein the fusion protein is represented by the following formula: wherein B represents a target peptide containing cysteine residue; A represents a partner polypeptide consisting of 90 to 220 amino acid residue but not containing cysteine residue; and L represents a linker amino acid residue positioned between C-terminal of the partner polypeptide and N-terminal of the target peptide wherein the same amino acid as the linker amino acid is not present in the target peptide, and the linker amino acid is selected so that the peptide bond between the C-terminal of the linker amino acid and the N-terminal of the target peptide is claimed by a protease or the linker amino acid is selectively degraded by a chemical substance; (2) disrupting the cultured cells and obtaining an insoluble fraction containing the fusion protein; (3) solubilizing the fusion protein with a solubilizing agent, and treating the solubilizing fusion protein with the protease or the chemical substance to liberate the target peptide, and isolating the target peptide.