Acid-activated insulin-like growth factor binding protein protease activity of Cathepsin D in normal and malignant prostatic epithelial cells and seminal plasma

In this study, we demonstrate insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) acid proteolysis in conditioned media (CM) from normal and malignant primary cultures of prostatic epithelial cells, prostatic cell lines, and in seminal plasma. We further demonstrate the absence of such activity in CM from prostatic stromal cells. Radio-labeled IGFBPs (1–6) were incubated with various acidified CM and seminal plasma. None of these media showed IGFBP proteolytic activity at neutral pH, but all CM from prostatic epithelial cells (PC-E) demonstrated strong IGFBP proteolysis at acidic pH. No acid-activated proteolysis was observed in the CM from stromal cell cultures. In order to ascertain the role of cathepsin D, anti-cathepsin antibodies were used to immunodeplete the media of the selected enzymes prior to incubation with IGFBPs. Depletion of cathepsin D greatly reduced the proteolytic activity of the PC-E CM. Additionally, purified cathepsin D yielded a digestion pattern identical to that produced by prostatic cell CM and seminal plasma, following acidic incubation with IGFBP-3. Remarkably, the proteolytic pattern generated by seminal plasma, when incubated with IGFBP-3 at neutral pH, corresponded to that produced by prostate-specific antigen (PSA), demonstrating the interpolation of both neutral and acid proteases from prostate cells into seminal plasma. In conclusion, prostatic epithelial cells secrete acid-specific IGFBP protease(s) related to cathepsin D. Although no significant statistical difference was observed in the degree of acid-specific proteolysis in the media from normal versus malignant primary epithelial cell cultures, physiologicalcharacteristics of the malignant state might facilitate increased cathepsin D activity. We suspect this proteolysis may play a role in prostatic cell proliferationand invasive tumor growth. J. Cell. Physiol. 171:196–204, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Human seminal proteinase and prostate-specific antigen are the same protein

Human seminal proteinase and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were each isolated from human seminal fluid and compared. Both are glycoproteins of 32-34 kDa with protease activities. Based on some physicochemical,enzymatic and immunological properties,it is concluded that these proteins are in fact identical.The protein exhibits properties similar to kallikrein-like serine protease, trypsin,chymotrypsin and thiol acid protease.Tests of the activity of the enzyme against some potential natural and synthetic substrates showed that bovine serum albumin was more readily hydrolysed than casein.The results of this study should be useful in purifying and assaying this protein.Based on published studies and the present results,the broad proteolytic specificity of human seminal proteinase suggests a role for this protein in several physiological functions.     

Was the serine protease cathepsin G discovered by S. G. Hedin in 1903 in bovine spleen?

In the beginning of the 20th century, enzymes with proteolytic activity were classified as peptidases, Erepsin, and proteases. Among these, pepsin, trypsin, and autolytic enzymes were of the protease class. Spleen-derived proteases were poorly characterized until Sven Gustaf Hedin performed several digestion experiments with bovine spleen. He incubated minced bovine spleen under acidic or neutral conditions and characterized two active proteases; the results were published in 1903. The first protease was named α-protease and was active under neutral conditions. The second was named β-protease and was active under acidic conditions. We replicated Hedin's experiments according to his methods and found, by using activity-based probes to visualize proteases, that the historical α-protease is the present-day serine protease cathepsin G (CatG), which is known to be important in several immune processes, including antigen processing, chemotaxis, and activation of surface receptors. The β-protease, however, comprised different proteases including CatX, B, S, and D. We suggest that Hedin described CatG activity in bovine spleen over 100 years ago.     

The presence of collagenase in collagen preparations

The frequently observed instability of neutral salt solutions of native collagen extracted from various sources and partially purified by standard procedures has been studied by disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel and by electron microscopic examination of segment long spacing crystallites. The phenomenon has revealed time and temperature dependency, pH optima near neutrality, and inhibition by sodium EDTA and serum. In addition, collagen breakdown has been found to be quantitatively related to the state of aggregation of the substrate, being more marked in reconstituted collagen gels than in collagen in solution. A typical pattern of animal collagenase degradation of native collagen into two fragments designated as TC^A and TC^B has been observed under certain conditions. It is concluded that the degradation of native collagen in neutral salt solution is due to a specific collagenase, and that this enzyme probably remains bound to collagen throughout the process of extraction and partial purification. Experiments with gelatin suggest that, in addition to collagenase, a nonspecific proteolytic activity may also be present in collagen preparations.     

Serine protease inhibitors inhibit superoxide production by human basophils stimulated by anti-IgE

Anti-IgE-induced O₂^? production by human basophils was inhibited by potent inactivators of serine proteases. The inhibitory effect of the inhibitor and substrate for chymotrypsin-type protease was much greater than that of those substances for trypsin-type protease. These findings suggest that chymotrypsin-like serine proteases are involved in basophil O₂^? production.     

Determination of protease activity in blood and microorganisms

A protease activity may be determined by means of immunoglobulins. Since proteolytic products apparently do not retain antigenic determinants of the initial substrate, the monitoring of enzymatic process may employ ELISA methods. The ELISA determination of functional activity of specific IgA1 protease has been used not only for detection of this enzyme, but also for measurement of its inhibition constants. IgG adsorbed onto a microplate was used for evaluation of total proteolytic activity. Varying pH values of the reaction medium it is possible to measure activity of neutral, alkaline and acid proteases. This approach was used for estimation total proteolytic activity of neutral proteases in blood serum. Due to high sensitivity of this method it was possible to dilute serum up to the level when serum inhibitors had not blocked enzyme activity. Assay of serum enzyme activity at acidic pH results in activation of pepsinogens and determination of pepsin activity. Measurement of a total level of serum pepsinogen activity may have diagnostic importance in gastroenterology, due to decisive contribution of pepsinogen I to the detectable activity.     

Cytoplasmic origin of the so-called nuclear neutral histone protease.

1. We have investigated the origin of proteolytic activity which causes degradation of histones in chromatin isolated from Xenopus liver and the rat liver at neutral pH. Polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis was used for detection of proteolytic products of histones. 2. No proteolytic degradation of histones occurs in chromatin isolated from Xenopus erythrocytes and rat liver according to our procedure even after prolonged incubation at pH 8.0 and pH 5.0. However with chromatin isolated from Xenopus liver a high level of histone degradation is observed under similar conditions. 3. Mixing isolated nuclei from Xenopus erythrocytes with a crude cytoplasmic fraction from Xenopus liver causes histone proteolysis in isolated chromatin at pH 8.0. In similar experiments with corresponding fractions from rat liver histone proteolysis can be introduced only after repeated freezing and thawing of the cytoplasmic fraction. 4. A purified lysosomal preparation from rat liver causes a similar type of histone degradation upon incubation with chromatin from Xenopus erythrocytes and rat liver. 5. The neutral proteolytic activity that can be introduced in isolated chromatin by a crude cytoplasmic fraction and by a purified lysosomal erythrocytes and rat liver. 5. The neutral proteolytic activity that can be introduced in isolated chromatin by a crude cytoplasmic fraction and by a purified lysosomal fraction from rat liver is inhibited by sodium bisulphite. 6. We conclude that the neutral proteolytic activity which causes degradation of histones in isolated chromatin is due to a contamination with neutral protease(s) originating from cytoplasmic organelles.     

Recombinant cathepsin E has no proteolytic activity at neutral pH

Cathepsin E (CatE) is a major intracellular aspartic protease reported to be involved in cellular protein degradation and several pathological processes. Distinct cleavage specificities of CatE at neutral and acidic pH have been reported previously in studies using CatE purified from human gastric mucosa. Here, in contrast, we have analyzed the proteolytic activity of recombinant CatE at acidic and neutral pH using two separate approaches, RP-HPLC and FRET-based proteinase assays. Our data clearly indicate that recombinant CatE does not possess any proteolytic activity at all at neutral pH and was unable to cleave the peptides glucagon, neurotensin, and dynorphin A that were previously reported to be cleaved by CatE at neutral pH. Even in the presence of ATP, which is known to stabilize CatE, no proteolytic activity was observed. These discrepant results might be due to some contaminating factor present in the enzyme preparations used in previous studies or may reflect differences between recombinant CatE and the native enzyme.     

Chemical modification of neutral protease from Bacillus subtilis var. amylosacchariticus with tetranitromethane: assignment of tyrosyl residues nitrated

A neutral protease from Bacillus subtilis var. amylosacchariticus was modified with tetranitromethane (TNM) at pH 8.0 for 1 h at 25 degrees C, by which treatment the proteolytic activity toward casein was markedly reduced, whereas activity changes toward N-blocked peptide substrates were variable depending upon the substrate used. The modified enzyme was digested with a Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease at pH 7.9 and the resultant peptides were separated by HPLC. Two peptides which contain nitrotyrosyl residue(s) were purified. One of the peptides was found to have an amino acid sequence of Thr-Ala-Asn-Leu-Ile-Tyr-Glu, which corresponds to residue Nos. 153-159 of the neutral protease, and Tyr-158 was identified as PTH-nitrotyrosine. The other one was the amino-terminal peptide of residue Nos. 1-22, and Tyr-21 was shown to be nitrated. From a comparison with the active site structure of thermolysin, which is a zinc metalloprotease with a high sequence homology to B. subtilis neutral proteases, nitration of Tyr-158 was inferred to be closely related to the activity changes of the neutral protease from B. subtilis var. amylosacchariticus.     

Identification and monitoring of protease activity in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An assay for the detection of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) protease activity, using partially purified yeast-derived recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen (rHBsAg) as substrate, was developed to monitor proteolysis of rHBsAg that may occur through fermentation and isolation. The method consists of incubating small amounts of yeast lysate (protease source) with the substrate at 35 degrees C for about 16 h. Substrate proteolysis is assessed by subjecting the incubation mixtures to SDS-PAGE followed by silver-staining. The type of protease responsible for particular cleavages can be identified by treating the yeast lysates with specific protease inhibitors prior to incubation with substrate. The treatment of lysates with PMSF indicated that while many lysates possessed only serine protease activity (Protease B), some possessed proteolytic activity that could not be quenched with high levels of PMSF or other serine protease inhibitors. The use of the aspartyl protease inhibitor Pepstatin A in conjunction with PMSF virtually eliminated all proteolytic activity in these lysates, indicating that an aspartyl protease (Protease A) is expressed under some fermentation conditions. The relative amount of each protease in a lysate can be determined semiquantitatively by scanning the SDS gels densitometrically and plotting the ratio of degradates to intact antigen in the presence and absence of protease inhibitors. This method was used successfully to monitor the time-dependent expression of these proteases throughout production-scale fermentations. The impact of fermentation and purification changes on those proteases specifically responsible for the rHBsAg degradation can be easily evaluated.     

Neutral metal chelator-sensitive protease in insect moulting fluid

Proteolytic activity in moulting fluid from the sphingid Manduca sexta has at least two pH optima; these occur at pH 7 and at pH 7·7. The latter activity is shown to be trypsin-like in that it is susceptible to inhibition by diisopropylfluorophosphate. By contrast, the peak at neutral pH consists of proteolytic activity not hitherto described in invertebrates. This activity shows little or no inhibition with diisopropylfluorophosphate or p-hydroxymercuribenzoate but is strongly inhibited by chelators such as 1,10-phenanthroline, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and EDTA. The neutral metal chelator-sensitive activity requires calcium but the inhibitor data permit the conclusion that the metal ion inhibited by the chelators belongs to the first transition series and thus cannot be calcium. The neutral protease appears to be similar to proteases previously characterized from bacteria and snake venom. In moulting fluid from Manduca, proteolytic activity in vitro is very low in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline at every pH studied except pH 7·7; in vivo, ecdysis is inhibited in Manduca larvae fed on diet containing a sufficient level (0·02 per cent or higher) of 1,10-phenanthroline. The metal chelator-sensitive proteolytic activity appears to be an essential moulting protease in Manduca.     

Regulation of Neutral Protease Productivity in Bacillus subtilis: Transformation of High Protease Productivity

A transformable strain of Bacillus subtilis 6160, a derivative of B. subtilis 168, produces three kinds of casein hydrolytic enzymes (alkaline protease, neutral protease, and esterase) in a culture medium. B. natto IAM 1212 produces 15 to 20 times as much total proteolytic activity as does B. subtilis. Extracellular proteases produced by the two strains were separated into each enzyme fraction by diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex A-50 column chromatography. The difference in the total protease activities of extracellular proteases between the two strains was due to the amount of neutral protease. The ratios of neutral protease activity to alkaline protease activity (N/A) were 1.1 in B. subtilis 6160 and 13.0 in B. natto IAM 1212. Enzymological and immunological properties of alkaline protease and neutral protease obtained from the two strains were quite similar or identical, respectively. Specific activities measured by an immunological analysis of the two neutral proteases against casein were also equal. A genetic character of high protease productivity in B. natto IAM 1212 was transferred to B. subtilis 6160 by the deoxyribonucleic acid-mediated transformation. Among 73 transformants that acquired high protease productivity, 69 produced a higher amount of neutral protease and the ratios of N/A were changed to 15 to 60. Three other strains were transformed in the productivity of neutral protease and alpha-amylase simultaneously, and one showed considerable change in the production of alkaline protease and neutral protease. The specific activities (casein hydrolytic activities/enzyme molecules) of neutral proteases from the representative four transformants were equal to those of the two parental strains. These results suggested the presence of a specific gene(s) that participated in the productivity of neutral protease in B. subtilis.     

Intracellular proteases during sporulation and enterotoxin formation byClostridium perfringens type A

Intracellular proteolytic activity was detected in cell-free extracts ofClostridium perfringens NCTC 10239 and NCTC 8798. The kinetics of protease, enterotoxin, and spore formation as well as growth of the wild type at elevated temperature and the use of sporulation mutants indicated that most protease activity was related to sporulation. Intracellular protease activity was inhibited by a mixture of tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride; this indicated the presence of an alkaline serine protease and a neutral metallo-protease. Stage 0 sporulation mutants produced only metallo-sensitive proteases; this indicated that only the serine protease was sporulation-specific.     

Hyperprotease-Producing Mutants of Bacillus subtilis

A number of mutants of Bacillus subtilis producing high levels of extracellular protease have been isolated. Analysis of culture supernatants of these mutants has shown that the total amount of proteolytic activity is elevated from 16- to 37-fold over the wild strain. The elevated activity was due to a simultaneous increase in both the neutral and alkaline protease. All of the mutants genetically analyzed were found linked to the argC4 marker by PBS-1 transduction analysis.     

Production, purification, and characterization of a novel thermostable serine protease from soil isolate, Streptomyces tendae

An isolate of Streptomyces tendae produced a extracellular protease which was purified to apparent homogeneity giving a single band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular mass of 21 kDa. Optimum activity was at 70 degrees C and pH 6. It was stable at 55 degrees C for 30 min and between pH 4 and 9. It was resistant to neutral detergents and organic solvents such as Triton X-100, Tween 80, methanol, ethanol, acetone, and 2-propanol at 5% (v/v). The enzyme was completely inhibited by 5 mM PMSF, indicating it to be a serine protease. N-terminal amino acid sequence did not show any homology with other known proteolytic enzymes. The protease may therefore be a novel neutral serine protease, which is stable at high temperature and over a broad range of pH.     

A comparative study of soluble calcium-dependent proteolytic activity in brain

Recent studies have shown that soluble calcium activated proteases (calpains) in brain degrade proteins associated with the cytoskeleton and vary markedly in activity across regions and as a function of development. It was suggested that the observed differences in calpain activity reflect differences in the turnover rate of structural elements. The present study extends this analysis by measuring the properties and activity of calpain in representatives of the five classes of vertebrates with particular emphasis on the mammals. No evidence for proteolysis was found in soluble fractions of fish brains at neutral pH in the presence or absence of added calcium. A substantial calcium-independent proteolytic activity was found in amphibian brains—the effects of a variety of protease inhibitors indicated that it is also a neurtral thiol (cysteine) protease. Reptilian brains exhibited both calcium-independent and calcium-dependent proteolytic activity. Virtually all proteolytic activity in birds (5 species) and mammals (9 species) measured at neutral pH was calcium-dependent. The endogenous substrates for the calcium activated proteases were very similar in several species of birds and mammals as were the effects of a variety of protease inhibitors. However, the activity of the enzyme, expressed per mg of soluble protein, was highly and negatively correlated with brain size in the mammals. The allometric expression for this relationship was similar to that found for the density of neurons in cerebral cortex as a function of absolute brain size. These results indicate that soluble proteolytic enzymes in brain are differentially expressed among classes of vertebrates and suggest that the turnover of cytoskeletal elements in birds and mammals differs in important ways from that found in fish and amphibians. The results obtained for mammals raise the possibility of a relationship between brain size and the rate at which structural elements are broken down and replaced in this vertebrate class.     

Novel peptide inhibitors of human kallikrein 2

Human kallikrein 2 (hK2) is a serine protease produced by the secretory epithelial cells in the prostate. Because hK2 activates several factors participating in proteolytic cascades that may mediate metastasis of prostate cancer, modulation of the activity of hK2 is a potential way of preventing tumor growth and metastasis. Furthermore, specific ligands for hK2 are potentially useful for targeting and imaging of prostate cancer and for assay development. We have used enzymatically active recombinant hK2 captured by a monoclonal antibody exposing the active site of the enzyme to screen phage display peptide libraries. Using libraries expressing 10 or 11 amino acids long linear peptides, we identified six different peptides binding to hK2. Three of these were shown to be specific and efficient inhibitors of the enzymatic activity of hK2 toward a peptide substrate. Furthermore, the peptides inhibited the activation of the proform of prostate-specific antigen by hK2. Amino acid substitution analyses revealed that motifs of six amino acids were required for the inhibitory activity. These peptides are potentially useful for treatment and targeting of prostate cancer.     

DNA-bound proteases. Partial characterization of proteolytic activities in commercial sources of DNA.

The presence of variable amounts of protease in commercial sources of calf thymus DNA has been established by means of three independent methods; electrophoresis, substrate labelling and microfluorometry. The microfluorometric method, which is particularly useful for initial velocity measurements, has been used to characterize this proteolytic activity, either bound to DNA or solubilized by salt extraction. The proteolytic activity had a maximum at neutral pH and was not affected by NaCl concentration up to 0.5 M. Studies of specificity with natural substrates showed a higher V for protamine and lower Km for histones. The proteolytic activity was resolved by gel filtration chromatography in two major molecular weight species, differing in thermal stability and pH activity profile.     

Proteolytic activities during growth and aging in the fungus Podospora anserina: Effect of specific mutations

In Podospora anserina five proteolytic enzymes were characterized by chromatographic procedures. Three of these (proteases A, B and C) were found in the cell extracts of growing cultures and the other two (proteases III and IV) were revealed by studies on protoplasmic incompatibility. During growth, only protease C, an acidic enzyme, was active in crude extracts. From the stationary and the poststationary stages this activity decreased and finally disappeared, whereas a neutral serine protease (activity B) became active in crude extracts. A close relationship was observed between the proteolytic activity of the culture filtrates and the intracellular protease(s) concomitantly active in the crude extracts. None of the proteases associated with protoplasmic incompatibility was detected, both in the extra- and intracellular spaces. Qualitative variations in the proteolytic activities during stationary and post-stationary stages depended on the presence of specific genes and mutations: the mod C mutation suppressing protoplasmic incompatibility, inhibits the progressive decrease of protease C and, furthermore, the presence of non allelic incompatibility genes have for consequence the substitution of serine protease B by serine protease A during the poststationary stage.     

Protease activity of normal and PHA stimulated human lymphocytes

An assay measuring the release of TCA soluble radioactive peptides from ³H acetylated casein or hemoglobin has been used to demonstrate that human peripheral blood lymphocytes contain a number of proteases, including cathepsin D, a neutral serine protease(s) inhibited by DFP and TLCK and probably a thiol protease(s) as well. We have also found a neutral protease activity bound to the surface of the lymphocyte, but not secreted into the medium which is not inhibited by TLCK. TLCK inhibits blast transformation to PHA under conditions that do not profoundly affect protein synthesis and inhibits the total extractable proteolytic activity of lymphocytes by approximately 25%. Lymphocytes contain one or more proteases that may play a role in blast transformation and other lymphocyte functions.