Enzyme inhibitors of microbial origin

The screening for enzyme inhibitors of microbial origin in the past decades has been a prosperous area to find new metabolites that are of potential importance as therapeutic or antibiotic agents. This review attempts a survey of recent achievements in this type of screening. Special emphasis is given to enzyme inhibitors and screening systems in fields where industry has a main interest in development. This includes some notes on the improved methodology for the detection of reversible and irreversible inhibitors of beta-lactamases and the presentation of a unique inhibitor of alpha-amylase from porcine pancreas isolated from a strain of Streptomyces tendae. This inhibitor (HOE 467) may be of potential use in the treatment of diabetic conditions, obesity and adipositas. The results show that the screening for enzyme inhibitors from microorganisms still provides one of the central challenges for future research.     

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors of microbial origin]

The data on spreading of inhibitors of alpha-glucosidases with microbial origin are given. Physiochemical characteristics of acorbose--a known inhibitor of alpha-glucosidases--and new inhibitor isolated from Streptomyces sp. are given in detail.     

微生物来源的酶抑制剂研究进展

１９５８年,植物学家Ｋｏｈｌａｎｄ首先提出次生代谢的概念,１９６０年Ｂｕ’Ｌｏｃｋ把这一概念引进微生物学领域。微生物次生代谢物包括抗生素、色素、毒素、信息素、动植物生长促进剂和生物药物素（ｂｉｏｐｈａｒｍａｃｅｕｔｉｎ）等。其中生物药物素包括酶抑制...     

Actinomycetes producing trypsin inhibitors

The ability to produce inhibitors of trypsin-like proteases was tested in 300 cultures of actinomycetes freshly isolated from different soils of the USSR. A high antitrypsin activity was found in seven cultures which had not been known before as those producing trypsin inhibitors: Streptomyces sporoclivatus 28 (1), S. lavendulae 29 (4), S. diastatochromogenes 20 (4), S. violascens 52 (8), S. bikiniensis 17 (5), S. filamentosus 32 (11), and Streptoverticillium cinnamoneum 86 (8). The morphological and cultural characteristics of the strains were studied as well as their production of trypsin inhibitors.     

Two simple quantitative assays for trypsin inhibitors using immobilized trypsin.

Two new methods for quantitative assay of trypsin inhibitors, suitable for large numbers of samples, are described. The assay methods use trypsin-Sepharose conjugates incorporated into agarose gel slabs. Trypsin inhibitors are allowed to diffuse into, or are electrophoretically moved through, the slabs, and the consequent areas of inactivation of immobilized trypsin are visualized using a histochemical enzyme substrate. Quantitation of the trypsin inhibitor content of samples can be made on the basis of the inactivated areas. The limit of detection is 1–2 μg of soybean trypsin inhibitor and determinations are reproducible to 10% or better. Measured trypsin inhibitor contents of several legume species and varieties agree with spectrophotometric determinations.     

Interaction of sheep haptoglobin with trypsin inhibitors

It was found that polymeric sheep haptoglobin C interacts with duck egg ovomucoid and with maize trypsin inhibitor. These inhibitors do not block the region in haptoglobin C molecule which is responsible for the formation of its complex with hemoglobin. The binding of the natural protein inhibitors is suggestive of homology of the haptoglobin site involved in the interaction with the substrate-specific site of trypsin. It is assumed that the regions in these protein molecules adjacent to the active and specific sites also possess a high degree of homology.     

Interaction between alpha-2 macroglobulin and trypsin with synthetic trypsin inhibitors]

The complex formed between trypsin (Tn) and alpha 2 Macroglobulin (alpha 2 M) retains the whole hydrolytic activity of the enzyme for synthetic substrates. Moreover synthetic inhibitors of low molecular weight stiel inhibit this activity. A comparative study of three inhibitors (Benzylamine, Butylamine, Benzamidine) has been carried out and shows that their behavior is similar. These inhibitors bind trypsin when it is bound to alpha 2 M and reciprocally alpha 2 M can bind Tn-inhibitor complex. Nevertheless the dissociation constant of the enzyme-inhibitor complex (Ki) is increased by alpha 2 M. In the case of Benzamidine the value of Ki is 2.22.10(-5) M for native enzyme and 13.4.10(-5) M for Tn-alpha 2 M and in the case of Butylamine this value increases from 0.5.10(-3) M to 2.95.10(-3) M. These variations of the Ki values are due to the modification of the accessibility of the inhibitor to the active site. Unpublished results show that the alpha 2 M molecule undergoes a deep structural modification in the course of the complex formation, which must lead to an increase of the value of Ki. This structural modification is probably irreversible so that the alpha 2 M complex has never been dissociated without altering the alpha 2 M molecule. The increase of the values of Ki cannot therefore result in an effective decrease of the association constant of the Tn-alpha 2 M complex.     

Differential effect of trypsin and trypsin inhibitors on lipopolysaccharide stimulation of hamster lymphoid cells

Activation of hamster lymphoid cells by the mitogen lipopolysaccharide was shown to be greatly potentiated by addition of the protease trypsin. However, activation of cells by the polyanion, dextran sulfate, was not altered by this enzyme. Addition of the soybean trypsin inhibitor inhibited lipopolysaccharide stimulation of lymph node cells from animals 1–4 months of age but only partially inhibited stimulation of splenocytes from young animals (5–6 weeks) and did not inhibit stimulation of splenocytes from older animals. Dextran sulfate stimulation was not inhibited by soybean trypsin inhibitor.