Thymosin Alpha-1 - Frequently Asked Questions

The entry classes it as an immunomodulatory thymic peptide that acts as a Toll-like-receptor (TLR2, TLR9) signaling modulator. It is a 28-residue N-acetylated peptide originally isolated from thymic tissue and studied in cell-based and ex-vivo models as a modulator of innate- and adaptive-immune signaling.

It is 28 amino acids long, a length the entry attributes to Cayman / CPC Scientific. Its full sequence is Ac-Ser-Asp-Ala-Ala-Val-Asp-Thr-Ser-Ser-Glu-Ile-Thr-Thr-Lys-Asp-Leu-Lys-Glu-Lys-Lys-Glu-Val-Val-Glu-Glu-Ala-Glu-Asn-OH, with an acetylated N-terminus and a free-acid C-terminus.

The entry reports that it engages Toll-like receptors TLR2 and TLR9 on dendritic cells and macrophages. This receptor assignment is attributed to Romani et al. 2004 (Blood, PMID 15044254).

Per the entry, TLR2/TLR9 engagement triggers downstream IRF3/NF-kB and p38-MAPK signaling. These arms drive dendritic-cell maturation, polarization of T-cell differentiation toward Th1 phenotypes, natural-killer-cell activation, and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-mediated tolerogenic pathways in the cited in-vitro and ex-vivo systems.

The entry states it induces differentiation of T-cell precursors and stimulates both interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and high-affinity IL-2-receptor (IL-2R) expression in lymphocyte cultures. Co-induction of the cytokine and its high-affinity receptor is the configuration that amplifies IL-2 signaling within a culture.

No. The entry states the linear sequence carries no cysteines and no disulfide bonds. As a practical consequence for laboratory handling, there is no disulfide-stabilized fold to preserve and no oxidation-prone thiol chemistry to manage during reconstitution and storage.

The molecular weight is 3108.32 g/mol (attributed to ChemicalBook), the molecular formula is C129H215N33O55, and the CAS number is 62304-98-7. The molecular weight is the exact conversion factor used to translate a reconstituted mass-per-volume concentration into molarity for assay work.

The single primary citation is Romani, L., et al. (2004), 'Thymosin alpha 1 activates dendritic cells for antifungal Th1 resistance through Toll-like receptor signaling,' Blood, DOI 10.1182/blood-2003-11-4036, PMID 15044254. The entry's TLR2/TLR9 receptor assignment traces to this source.

The entry lists three: TLR2/TLR9 dendritic-cell signaling assays; T-cell differentiation and IL-2 / IL-2R expression models; and innate-immune (NK-cell, macrophage) activation studies. All are in-vitro or ex-vivo immunological investigations.

For bench preparation, the lyophilized peptide is dissolved in bacteriostatic water, and the target stock concentration is computed from the peptide mass and diluent volume using the molecular weight 3108.32 g/mol to convert to molarity. Working assay concentrations are reached by serial dilution into culture medium or assay buffer. This is a laboratory procedure for assay material, not a human dosing protocol.

No Thymosin alpha-1-specific half-life or pharmacokinetic value is provided in the entry. Storage reasoning therefore relies on documented structural features (the N-terminal acetylation and the absence of cysteines/disulfide bonds) combined with general peptide-class principles: keep the lyophilized form cold, aliquot reconstituted stock to avoid freeze-thaw, and store cold, with no in-vivo clearance claim made.

No. The entry explicitly states that all findings are in-vitro and ex-vivo immunological observations and that no therapeutic or human-outcome claim is made. The material is framed strictly for research use within receptor-signaling and laboratory contexts.