Interactions of derivatives of guanidinophenylalanine and guanidinophenylglycine with Streptomyces griseus trypsin

The rates of hydrolysis of the ester, amide and anilide substrates of p-guanidino-L-phenylalanine (GPA) by Streptomyces griseus trypsin (S. griseus trypsin) were compared with those of arginine (Arg) substrates. The specificity constant (kcat/km) for the hydrolysis of GPA substrates by the enzyme was 2-3-times lower than that for arginine substrates. The kcat and Km values for the hydrolysis of N alpha-benzoyl-p-guanidino-L-phenylalanine ethyl ester (Bz-GPA-OEt) by S. griseus trypsin are in the same order of magnitude as those of N alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (Bz-Arg-OEt), although both values for the former when hydrolyzed by bovine trypsin are higher by one order of magnitude than those for the latter. The specificity constant for the hydrolysis of Bz-GPA-OEt by S. griseus trypsin is much higher than that for N alpha-benzoyl-p-guanidino-L-phenylglycine ethyl ester (Bz-GPG-OEt). As with the kinetic behavior of bovine trypsin, low values in Km and kcat were observed for the hydrolysis of amide and anilide substrates of GPA by S. griseus trypsin compared with those of arginine substrates. The rates of hydrolysis of GPA and arginine substrates by S. griseus trypsin are about 2- to 62-times higher than those obtained by bovine trypsin. Substrate activation was observed with S. griseus trypsin in the hydrolysis of Bz-GPA-OEt as well as Bz-Arg-OEt, whereas substrate inhibition was observed in three kinds of N alpha-protected anilide substrates of GPA and arginine. In contrast, no activation by the amide substrate of GPA could be detected with this enzyme.     

Kinetics of hydrolysis of amide and anilide substrates of p-guanidino-L-phenylalanine by bovine and porcine trypsins

The rates of hydrolysis of N alpha-benzoyl-p-guanidino-L-phenylalaninamide (Bz-GPA-NH2) and N alpha-substituted p-nitroanilides (pNA) of GPA (benzyloxycarbonyl(Z)-GPA-pNA, benzoyl(Bz)-GPA-pNA and acetyl(Ac)-GPA-pNA) by bovine and porcine trypsins were compared with those of arginine (Arg) substrates. The amide type substrates of GPA were hydrolyzed as fast as those of Arg by the two enzymes with much the same kcat/Km values, though significant differences were found between the kcat and Km values of GPA derivatives and those of Arg derivatives. The kinetic behavior of porcine trypsin toward GPA substrates was almost the same as that of the bovine enzyme. The ratio of the kcat value for Bz-GPA-OEt to that for Bz-GPA-NH2 was much larger than that for the ester to amide substrates of arginine, suggesting that the conformational change of the active site of trypsin induced by a benzene ring in the side chain of Bz-GPA-OEt specifically increases the velocity of the deacylation process of the ester substrate. Remarkably low values of both kcat and Km were found for the tryptic hydrolysis of Z-GPA-pNA and Ac-GPA-pNA, as well as on that of Bz-GPA-pNA (Tsunematsu, H., et al. (1983) J. Biochem. 94, 123-128). Z-GPA-pNA is the best substrate for the two trypsins among the three N alpha-substituted anilide substrates of GPA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Comparison of soluble and immobilized trypsin kinetics: Implications for peptide synthesis

The protease trypsin was immobilized to porous glass in both the presence and absence of acetylated soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) to determine whether immobilization could alter enzyme activity in favor of aminolysis over hydrolysis. Actiive-site titration with 4-methylumbelliferylguanidinobenzoate (MUGB) showed that only about 10% of immobilized trypsin had catalytic activity. Immobilization in the presence of STI produced a higher yield of active enzyme accessible to the inhibitor but did not increase the total yield of MUGB-active immobilized enzyme. Thus, enzyme inactivation upon immobilization could not be attributed to an inaccessible enzyme orientation, nor did STI prevent inactivation by stabilizing the active-site conformation. Kinetic parameters were determined for soluble and immobilized trypsin for two esters, N-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME) and N-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (BAEE), and two amides, N-benzoyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) and N-t-boc-leucylglycylarginine p-nitroanilide (LGRNA). In all cases, immobilization caused a greater decrease in k(cat) for amidase activity than for esterase activity. The ratio [k(cat)/ K(m) (ester)]/[k(cat)/K(m) (amide)] increased slightly or stayed the same (for I.GRNA) or decreased sharply (for BAPNA). Including STI during immobilization had little effect on the active enzyme's intrinsic kinetics. A direct comparison of energy diagrams and free energies of activation for BAEE and BAPNA indicates that immobilization raises the free energy barriers for both amide and ester hydrolysis and lowers the energy barrier for aminolysis. In practice, these effects should lower the amidase activity and increase the aminolysis-hydrolysis ratio, rendering the immobilized enzyme a more efficient catalyst for peptide synthesis. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Hydrolysis of artificial substrates by enterokinase and trypsin and the development of a sensitive specific assay for enterokinase in serum.

The activities of highly purified human enterokinase (enteropeptidase, EC 3.4.21.9) and bovine trypsin were tested against three synthetic substrates alpha-N-Benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester HCl, alpha-N-Benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide HCl and alpha-N-Benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthylamide HCl. There was no detectable hydrolysis of these substrates by enterokinase whereas the kinetic parameters obtained for trypsin were in close agreement with those previously described by other workers. The values for Km and kcat were dependent on the Ca2+ concentration. Hydrolysis of glycine-tetra-L-aspartyl-L-lysyl-2-naphthylamide (Gly(Asp)4-Lys-Nap) by these protease was also studied. Enterokinase-catalysed hydrolysis obeyed simple steady-state kinetics and values for Km of 0.525 mM and 0.28 mM and for kcat of 21.5 s-1 and 28.3 s-1 were obtained in 0.1 mM and 10 mM Ca2+, respectively. Trypsin-catalysed hydrolysis was complex and the response to Ca2+ was sigmoidal partly due to the lability of trypsin at low Ca2+ concentrations. A sensitive specific assay for enterokinase was developed and applied to the measurement of the enzyme in serum; interference by nonspecific arylamidases was eliminated by the addition of Zn2+.     

Purification and Characterization of Trypsin like Enzyme of Sperm of the Sea Urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus

Trypsin like enzyme has been isolated from sperm of the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus , using tryptophane methyl ester-Sepharose 4B and soybean trypsin inhibitor-Sepharose 4B affinity chromatographies.
The isolated enzyme preparation is homogenous in polyacrylamide gel electrohoresis at pH 2.3. The molecular weight of the enzyme estimated by gel filtration is about 33,000, and the enzyme separates into two subunits of 10,900 and 20,500 on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of β-mercaptoethanol.
This enzyme is active to N-α-benzoyl arginine ethyl ester (BAEE), N-α-toluenesulfonyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (TAME), and N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide, but not N-acetyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester, N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester, Hippuryl-L-arginine, and Hippuryl-L-phenylalanine. The optimal pH of this enzyme is about 8.0. The Michaelis constants for BAEE and TAME are 3.3 × 10⁻⁶M, and 8.2 × 10⁻⁵M, respectively.
Soybean trypsin inhibitor and lima bean trypsin inhibitor completely inhibit the activity of this enzyme, while N-α-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, ovomucoid trypsin inhibitor, and α-1-antitrypsin partially inhibit. L-1-tosylamide-2-phenyl chloromethyl ketone, chyrnostatin, and aporotinine are without effect.
This enzyme is stable at pH 2.0–3.0 and labile at pH 8.0. Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ activate this enzyme, but do not stabilize at pH 8.0. Seawater, NaCl, and KCl inhibit this enzyme activity.
Release of this enzyme from the acrosomal vesicle is suggested.     

Purification and characterization of rat plasma kallikrein

Kallikrein enzyme initially was isolated from rat plasma by passage of citrated plasma through a DEAE-Sephadex column at pH 7.2. The active fraction was purified to electrophoretic apparent homogeneity by precipitation to 60% ammonium sulfate saturation, sequential passage through DE-52 cellulose, Sephadex G-200 and SP-Sephadex columns and finally by chromatofocusing on a PBE-94 column. The kallikrein content of each fraction during purification was monitored on the synthetic substrate N-alpha-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME) and by its ability to form kinin from heat-treated rat plasma. The molecular weight was estimated by gel filtration to be 50,000 and by SDS-gel electrophoresis 41,000. Multiple isozymic forms were obtained with pI values ranging from 4.2 to 5.0. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 8.3. The Km and Vmax values for TAME, Bz-pro-phe-arg-pNA and H-D-val-leu-lys-pNA were 1.6, 0.16 and 1.7 mM and 3.09, 0.96 and 0.25 microM/mg/min respectively. The enzyme was inhibited by soybean trypsin inhibitor but not by lima bean trypsin inhibitor.     

Characterization of soybean trypsin inhibitor sensitive protease from unfertilized sea urchin eggs

A serine protease from sea urchin eggs has been isolated by affinity chromatography on soybean trypsin inhibitor-agarose. Benzamidine hydrochloride was included to minimize autodegradation. We present data on the properties of the protease with respect to molecular weight and its interaction with trypsin inhibitors and substrates. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 47 000 by gel filtration under nonreducing conditions and 35 000 by electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and dithiothreitol. The pH optimum and Km with N alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (BAEE) are 8.0 and 75 microM, respectively. The specific activity is comparable to that of bovine pancreatic trypsin. Proteolytic activity was measured by beta-casein hydrolysis. The caseinolytic activity is completely inhibited by 1 mumol of soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) per micromole of enzyme. BAEE esterase activity is inhibited competitively by SBTI (Ki = 1.6 nM), lima bean trypsin inhibitor (150 nM), chicken ovomucoid (100 nM), and leupeptin (130 nM). Bowman-Birk inhibitor, benzamidine hydrochloride, and antipain are also inhibitors of the purified enzyme. Inhibition by phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride and N alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone indicates the presence of serine and histidine residues in the active center, respectively. The chymotrypsin inhibitor L-1-(tosylamido)-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone is ineffective. The protease is susceptible to autodegradation which can result in the appearance of a minor 23-kilodalton component. The egg protease appears to be similar in many respects to trypsins and trypsin-like enzymes isolated from a wide variety of sources, including sea urchin and mammalian sperm.     

Trypsin-like protease from soybean seeds. Purification and some properties

An enzyme was purified from soybean seeds mainly by repeated ion-exchange chromatography using benzoyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide (BAPA) as a substrate. The purified enzyme was homogeneous as judged by disc gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight was estimated as 59,000 by gel filtration. The enzyme was most active toward BAPA between pH 8 and 10. The enzyme was inactive toward protein substrates but hydrolyzed synthetic substrates and oligopeptides exclusively at the carboxyl side of L-arginine and L-lysine. Kinetic studies using synthetic substrates showed that, on the basis of Vmax/Km, the enzyme preferentially hydrolyzed amide substrates over ester substrates. Benzoyl-L-arginine 4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide (Bz-Arg-MCA) was the best substrate. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (Tos-Lys-CH2Cl), leupeptin, and antipain. p-Chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB) was only partially inhibitory. Various protein inhibitors of trypsin such as soybean trypsin inhibitor were ineffective. From the primary specificity and susceptibility to chemicals, the enzyme can be said to be a trypsin-like serine protease. Although the physiological role of the enzyme is unclear, it seems likely that it is involved in limited hydrolysis of certain physiological peptides during processing.     

Trypsin catalyzed hydrolysis of new chromogenic arginine substrates

Trypsin catalyzed hydrolysis of seven new chromogenic arginine substrates, N alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-arginine-3-nitro-5X-anilide (X = H, CF3, SO2CH3, F, Cl, Br and I) were studied. These substrates are suitable for studying electronic effects on trypsin activity. The Km and kcat values for the hydrolysis of each substrate were determined and found to differ significantly for the various substrates. The Hammett plot of the catalytic rate constants gave a straight line with a negative rho value (-0.82) thus indicating that electron withdrawing substituents retard the trypsin catalyzed hydrolysis of the new anilide substrates.     

A Proteinase from Mung Bean Sprouts That Inactivaties Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor (in English)

By 30%-60% (NH4)2SO4 fractional precipitation, anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and anion-exchange chromatography on Waters AP-1 column (ProteinPM-Pak DEAE 15HR), a proteinase which can inactivate soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) was purified from mung bean (Vigna rabiata (L.) Wilczek) sprouts. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 29.8 kD by SDS-PAGE, and its Km and Vmax for STI were 769.2N-α-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester BAEE/mL and 115.3 BAEE·mL-1·min-1 respectively. This proteinase was stable at temperatures lower than 50℃ and pH 6.5-8.5, and 90.91% STI activity of defatted soybean powder was inactivated by this preparation, with proteolytic activity 5 000 BAEE/mL at 50℃ and pH 8.0 in 4 h.     

萌发绿豆中水解大豆胰蛋白酶抑制子蛋白酶的纯化及固定化

大豆是豆类植物中最早发现存在蛋白酶抑制子的 ,由于其存在影响了豆类的利用价值 ,因此研究人员一直在寻找着解决办法。采用加热处理方法不能彻底钝化豆类蛋白的蛋白酶抑制子活性 ,且豆类蛋白的含硫氨基酸主要存在于各类蛋白酶抑制子中 ,从豆类蛋白中除去抑制子蛋白将大大降低其营养效价。本研究的目的是试图寻找一种可在常温下降解豆类胰蛋白酶抑制子的蛋白酶 ,从而钝化豆类的胰蛋白酶抑制活性。在前期工作中 ,我们发现枯草杆菌蛋白酶 (Ｓｕｂ ｔｉｌｉｓｉｎ)可在在常温下降解花生及大豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂[1] ,近期我们的研究表明 ,Ａｌｃａ…     

Isolation and characterization of fibrinogenase from western diamondback rattlesnake venom and its comparison to the thrombin-like enzyme, crotalase

A new type of fibrinogenase was isolated from the venom of the western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox). Unlike thrombin, the newly isolated fibrinogenase did not cause formation of a fibrin clot. Various properties of the fibrinogenase we isolated were compared with crotalase isolated from the venom of C. adamanteus. It was found that fibrinogenase has considerable similarity to crotalase isolated by Markland and Damus in 1971. Crotalase is a thrombin-like enzyme and produces a fibrin clot from fibrinogen. The A alpha chain of fibrinogen was first split and the B beta chain was cleaved later. The fact that no fibrin clot forms indicates that the cleavage sites in A alpha and B beta chains of fibrinogen must be different from thrombin sites. The fibrinogenase also released bradykinin by interacting with plasma proteins. It hydrolyzed TAME (p-toluenesulfonyl-L-arginine methyl ester), BAEE (N-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester). TLME (N-tosyllysine methyl ester) but not BAA (N-benzoylarginine amide), TAA (N-tosylarginineamide) or ATEE (N-acetyltyrosine ethyl ester). The enzyme is an acidic protein with pI of 4.6 and a mol. wt of 31,000. It consists of 272 total amino acid residues, 21% of which are acidic amino acids. Fibrinogenase is a specific form of protease. A newly liberated amino group after hydrolysis of dimethyl-casein can be detected by the reagent trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS). Fibrinogenase differs from trypsin as the soybean trypsin inhibitor does not inhibit the enzyme's action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effects of secondary interactions on the kinetics of peptide and peptide ester hydrolysis by tissue kallikrein and trypsin

Kinetic constants for the hydrolysis by porcine tissue beta-kallikrein B and by bovine trypsin of a number of peptides related to the sequence of kininogen (also one containing a P2 glycine residue instead of phenylalanine) and of a series of corresponding arginyl peptide esters with various apolar P2 residues have been determined under strictly comparative conditions. kcat and kcat/Km values for the hydrolysis of the Arg-Ser bonds of the peptides by trypsin are conspicuously high. kcat for the best of the peptide substrates, Ac-Phe-Arg-Ser-Val-NH2, even reaches kcat for the corresponding methyl ester, indicating rate-limiting deacylation also in the hydrolysis of a peptide bond by this enzyme. kcat/Km for the hydrolysis of the peptide esters with different nonpolar L-amino acids in P2 is remarkably constant (range 1.7), as it is for the pair of the above pentapeptides with P2 glycine or phenylalanine. kcat for the ester substrates varies fivefold, however, being greatest for the P2 glycine compounds. Obviously, an increased potential of a P2 residue for interactions with the enzyme lowers the rate of deacylation. In contrast to results obtained with chymotrypsin and pancreatic elastase, trypsin is well able to tolerate a P3 proline residue. In the hydrolysis of peptide esters, tissue kallikrein is definitely superior to trypsin. Conversely, peptide bonds are hydrolyzed less efficiently by tissue kallikrein and the acylation reaction is rate-limiting. The influence of the length of peptide substrates is similar in both enzymes and indicates an extension of the substrate recognition site from subsite S3 to at least S'3 of tissue kallikrein and the importance of a hydrogen bond between the P3 carbonyl group and Gly-216 of the enzymes. Tissue kallikrein also tolerates a P3 proline residue well. In sharp contrast to the behaviour of trypsin is the very strong influence of the P2 residue in tissue-kallikrein-catalyzed reactions. kcat/Km varies 75-fold in the series of the dipeptide esters with nonpolar L-amino acid residues in P2, a P2 glycine residue furnishing the worst and phenylalanine the best substrate, whereas this exchange in the pentapeptides changes kcat/Km as much as 730-fold. This behaviour, together with the high value of kcat/Km for Ac-Phe-Arg-OMe of 3.75 X 10(7) M-1 s-1, suggests rate-limiting binding (k1) in the hydrolysis of the best ester substrates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Cerebral proteinases in the growing rat

—The proteolytic activity of brain homogenates obtained from 1-, 5-, 14-, 60-, 150-, and 300-day-old rats was assayed with urea-denatured haemoglobin and casein, endogenous tissue proteins, Nα-benzoyl-dl-arginine 2-naphtylamide (BANA), N^α-benzoyl-dl-arginine methyl ester (BAME), N^α-toluene p-sulphonyl-dl-arginine methyl ester (TAME), N^α-benzoyl-dl-phenylalanine 2-naphthyl ester (BPANE), and N^α-acetyl-dl-tyrosine ethyl ester (ATEE) as substrates. Several peaks of activity were detected with all these substrates in different pH ranges. Activity was highest with protein substrates at pH 3·0-4·0, with smaller peaks of activity at pH 5·5-6·5 and 8·0-9·0. At pH 3·0 the activity with trypsin substrates, viz. BANA, BAME and TAME, was also relatively high, but much less with chymotrypsin substrates, ATEE or BPANE. With BAME, TAME, BPANE and ATEE the hydrolysis rate was highest at neutral or slightly alkaline pH. During postnatal development the hydrolysis of protein substrates increased three-fold at pH 3·0 and about two-fold at pH 6·5 and 8·5. The rate of hydrolysis of BANA, BAME and TAME generally increased during the first 2 postnatal weeks and thereafter decreased, whereas no marked increase in the rate of hydrolysis of BPANE and ATEE occurred until the age of about 2 weeks. The results were less consistent with synthetic substrates than with protein substrates, indicating the existence of non-uniform alterations during development in the activity of the individual hydrolytic enzymes participating in the breakdown of brain proteins.     

Kinetic studies of the differential effect of detergents on the peptidase activities of the multicatalytic proteinase from rat liver

We present here a detailed study of the effect of detergents on the three peptidase activities (hydrolysis of the LLVY, ARR, and LLE peptides) of the purified multicatalytic proteinase from rat liver. At Triton X-100 and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentrations of 0.1%, all three peptidase activities are inhibited. Lower concentrations of the two detergents (0.01%) do not affect the hydrolysis of the ARR peptide, whereas they behave differently on the hydrolysis of the LLVY and LLE peptides. Triton X-100 inhibits and SDS strongly activates LLVY peptide hydrolysis by decreasing and increasing Vmax, respectively. In the absence of detergents, the saturation curve for the LLE peptide can be analyzed as the result of two components, one showing cooperative (nH = 1.6) with higher affinity (S0.5 = 60 microM) and lower Vmax than a second, noncooperative component (Km = 320 microM). SDS (0.01%) activates LLE peptide hydrolysis by suppressing cooperativity, slightly increasing Vmax, and decreasing the half-saturation concentration (Km = 30 microM) of the enzyme. Triton X-100 (0.01%) also suppresses the cooperativity and decreases the half-saturation concentration (Km = 25 microM) for the LLE peptide; in contrast, it reduces Vmax by inhibition of the low affinity, high Vmax component observed in the absence of detergents. Based on these observations, it can be concluded that both detergents behave like allosteric activators of peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolyzing activity and that the multicatalytic proteinase has at least three different classes of active sites: two independent noncooperative sites that catalyze the hydrolysis of trypsin and chymotrypsin-like substrates and one class for peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolysis having two components: one cooperative (two or more sites) and one noncooperative.     

Comparative specificity of porcine pancreatic kallikrein and bovine pancreatic trypsin. Importance of interactions N-terminal to the scissible bond

Hydrolyses catalyzed by bovine pancreatic trypsin and porcine pancreatic kallikrein were studied using synthetic peptide substrates of the type E chi-L chi 2-L chi 1 decreases Y and E chi-L chi 3-L chi 2-L chi 1 decreases Y with L chi 1 = Arg defining the hydrolysis position (indicated by the arrow). The leaving moiety Y was -OCH3, -NH-C6H4-p-NO2 and -Ala-NH2. Insight into interactions occurring between the active site of the enzymes and the acyl moiety of the substrates was gained by studying the influence on hydrolysis rate of structural variation of residues L chi 2 and L chi 3. Parallel analyses of the hydrolyses of the ester, anilide, and peptide substrates having the same acyl moiety considerably facilitated the interpretation of the kinetic data. Trypsin, but not kallikrein, displayed high reactivity even with relatively short substrates. Ac-Ala-Arg-Ala-NH2, for example, was a better substrate for trypsin than for kallikrein by a factor of 1.3 X 10(4) in terms of kcat and 5.9 X 10(4) in terms of kcat/Km. Reactivity differences of such magnitude were related to two main differences in enzyme-substrate interactions: the interaction of the arginine side chain of the substrate with the specificity pocket of the enzyme is optimal for trypsin but poor for kallikrein and the number of hydrogen bonds formed by the enzyme with the backbone section of the substrate on both sides of the specific residue is larger in the case of trypsin. The latter difference is found to be related to the structure of amino-acid residue 192 which is glutamine in trypsin and methionine in kallikrein.     

Kinetics of hydrolysis of phenylthiazolones of arginine, homoarginine, norarginine, and canaavanine by trypsin.

Phenylthiazolones (PTAs) of arginine and its homologs and analogs, homoarginine, norarginine (alpha-amino-gamma-guanidinobutyric acid), canavanine, and gamma-hydroxyarginine, were prepared. A steady-state kinetic analysis of the trypsin [EC 3.4.21.4]-catalyzed hydrolysis reactions was carried out and the kinetic parameters for these internal thioesters were compared with those for normal linear ester substrates. PTA-gamma-hydroxyarginine was so labile that hydrolysis by the enzyme could not be followed. PTA-arginine has a specificity constant (Kcat/Km) comparable to that for the Nalpha-unblocked arginine ester substrate, though the value is about 0.1% of that for a specific ester substrate, Nalpha-tosylarginine methyl ester. PTA derivatives of canavanine and homoarginine were hydrolyzed with Kcat/Km walues of the same order of magnitude as that for PTA-arginine. However, PTA-noraginine was much less susceptible to tryptic hydrolysis that PTA-homoarginine, while the linear esters of norarginine are known to be more susceptible than those of homoarginine.     

Tryptase from rat skin: purification and properties

Tryptase was purified 13,000-fold to apparent homogeneity from rat skin. The two-step procedure involved ammonium sulfate fractionation of the initial extract followed by combined sequential affinity chromatography on agarose-glycyl-glycyl-p-aminobenzamidine and concanavalin A-agarose. The purified enzyme had a specific activity toward N-benzoylarginine ethyl ester (BzArgOEt) of 170 mumol/min mg-1 and was obtained in a yield of 28% as determined by the specific substrate, H-D-Ile-Pro-Arg-p-nitroanilide. Rat skin tryptase was thermal labile, losing 50% of its activity when preincubated for 30 min at 30 degrees C. The presence of NaCl (1 M) improved thermal stability and was necessary for long-term storage. Heparin did not stabilize the enzyme against thermal denaturation, and heparin-agarose failed to bind the enzyme. Rat skin tryptase was inhibited by diisopropylphosphofluoridate, antipain, leupeptin, and aprotinin but not by alpha 1-antitrypsin, ovomucoid, or soybean or lima bean trypsin inhibitors. Substrate specificity studies using a series of tri- and tetrapeptidyl-p-nitroanilide and peptidyl-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin substrates demonstrated the existence of an extended substrate binding site. Rat skin tryptase hydrolyzed [Arg8]vasopressin, neurotensin, and the oxidized B-chain of insulin at the -Arg8-Gly9-NH2, -Arg8-Arg9-, and -Arg22-Gly23-bonds, respectively. No general proteinase activity was observed toward casein, hemoglobin, or azocoll. Rat skin tryptase had a Mr of 145,000 by gel filtration. The subunit Mr was either 34,000 or 30,000 depending on the electrophoretic technique used. Treatment of the enzyme with peptide N-glycosidase F (N-glycanase) decreased the subunit Mr by 4000. The enzyme exhibited multiple isoelectric forms (pI's of 4.5-4.9). Rat skin tryptase was found to be related statistically to other tryptases on the basis of amino acid composition. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was Ile1-Val2-Gly3-Gly4-Gln5-Glu6-Ala7-+ ++Ser8-Gly9-Asn10-Lys11-Trp12-Pro13- Trp14- Gln15-Val16-Ser17-Leu18-Arg19-Val20- --21-Asp-22Thr23-Tyr24-Typ25-, with a putative glycosylation site at residue 21. This sequence was 72-80% homologous with the N-terminus of other tryptases but only 40% homologous with that of bovine trypsin.     

Effect of an extract of nereis virens on mammalian spermatozoa

Epididymal sperm of the mouse, rat, and guinea pig and ejaculated sperm of rabbits are cleaved at the head-tail junction by an extract of Nereis virens. Annelids are extracted with water and the extract is purified by ion exchange chromatography. Electron microscopy shows that the extract acts on the filaments connecting the capitulum of the tail with the basal plate lining the nuclear envelope. Following detachment, the basal plate remains with the head. The extract contains proteases as indicated by hydrolysis of tosyl arginine methyl ester (TAME), benzoyl arginine ethyl ester (BAEE), and Azocoll, a general protease substrate. The hydrolysis of TAME is inhibited by tosyl lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK), a trypsin inhibitor, but TLCK does not prevent head-tail separation by the Nereis extract. Similarly tosyl phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK), a chymotrypsin inhibitor, and phosphoramidon and leucyltryptophan, both thermolysin and acrolysin inhibitors — singly or in combination — do not prevent hydrolysis of Azocoll. Head-tail separation activity of the extract was inhibited by dithiothreitol, which reduces disulfide bonds, and phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride, an inhibitor of serine proteases. These results indicate that the extract is a mixture of proteases, one being a serine protease similar to trypsin. Digestion of the connecting filaments with the pure proteases, trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, has yielded the following information on the proteins of the filaments. The accessibility of arginine and/or lysine peptide bonds to enzyme action is highest in rat sperm filaments, whereas those in the filaments of mouse, rabbit, and guinea pig sperm are less accessible than in the rat. Another possibility is that the total content of arginine and/or lysine varies between the species. The most dramatic difference is the enzymatic action on glutamyl peptide bonds of the filaments, the order being: mouse 〉 rat 〉 rabbit, with guinea pig sperm filaments completely resistant over the time course of the experiment.     

Purification of cat submaxillary kallikrein.

The cat submaxillary gland contains 1,000--2,400 kallikrein units (KU)/g of tissue. The submaxillary kallikrein was purified to homogeneity by acetone fractionation, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatography, Sephadex G-75 gel filtration, and Ampholine isoelectric focusing. The kallikrein was separated by isoelectric focusing into 6--7 forms with pI's between 4.2 and 5.1. One mg of the purified kallikrein contained 930--1,260 KU in the dog vasodilator assay, and hydrolyzed 15--25 and 9--12 mumol of N-alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (BAEE) and N-alpha-toluenesulfonyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME), respectively, in 1 min at 25 degrees C and pH 8.0. The Km's of the purified kallikrein with BAEE and TAME were 0.67 and 0.34 mM, respectively. Hydrolysis of N-alpha-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester (BTEE), N-alpha-benzoylarginine-p-nitroanilide (BApNA), and casein was small or negligible. The apparent molecular weight of the kallikrein was estimated to be 5 X 10(4) by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and 4.7 X 10(4) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The kallikrein was found to contain 18.5% carbohydrate by weight. Trasylol and soybean trypsin inhibitor were not specific inhibitors of this kallikrein.