Papain that had been irreversibly inhibited with 1,3-dibromo[2−14C]acetone was reduced with sodium borohydride and carboxymethylated with iodoacetic acid. After digestion with trypsin and α-chymotrypsin the radioactive peptides were purified chromatographically. Their amino acid composition indicated that cysteine-25 and histidine-106 were cross-linked. Since cysteine-25 is known to be the active-site cysteine residue, histidine-106 must be the active-site histidine residue.
