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The adenovirus type 2 hexon protein produced in excess during infection was carboxymethylated by reduction and alkylation with iodo[2-14C]acetate in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. Only one type of polypeptide chain was detected by exclusion chromatography in dissociating buffers. Peptide mapping experiments, sequence analysis of peptides and identification of possible protein terminal residues also suggest that all subunits are similar and probably identical. Structural analysis of [14C]carboxymethylated hexon and of hexon which was labeled in vivo with [35S]cysteine revealed six unique cysteine derivatives in soluble tryptic peptides. A seventh unique cysteine derivative, only partly carboxymethylated, was present in the tryptic core material and was recovered after chymotryptic digestion. Seven unique cysteine derivatives in the hexon subunit, correspond to a minimum molecular weight of about 100 000 for the subunit. This value is consistent with values obtained from exclusion chromatography in guanidine hydrochloride, from mercurial titration of an accessible thiol group in the intact protein and from peptide mapping experiments. Peptides corresponding to more than one tenth of the total number of residues in the protein chain were characterized and, with the inclusion of other peptides studied, about one quarter of all residues are accounted for. The results exclude extensive regions of identity in primary structure within the hexon subunits and the partial resistance towards attack by proteolytic enzymes is structurally explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]