The effect of pepsin on autologous immune complex glomerulonephritis

The effects of intravenous administration of pepsin on autologous immune complex glomerulonephritis, which is an established experimental model of membranous glomerulopathy in human, were investigated. Sensitization of rats with renal tubular antigen induced an increase in urinary protein excretion, decreases in serum levels of total protein, albumin and immunoglobulin G and histopathological abnormalities in glomerulus. A significant increase in serum immune complex and glomerular immune complex deposit were also observed. These abnormalities were ameliorated by pepsin. Pepsin may be effective and beneficial in the treatment of immune complex nephritis.     

The effect of acid proteinase inhibitors on chicken pepsin.

1. The activity of chicken pepsin was partially inhibited by dimethyl-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl)sulphonium bromide, but was unaffected by p-bromophenacyl bromide. 2. In the presence of Cu2+, diazoacetylnorleucine methyl ester completely inactivated chicken pepsin with the incorporation of 1 mol/mol. The mechanism of the reaction was similar to that with pig pepsin. 3. Chicken pepsin was completely inactivated by 2-diazo-4-bromoacetophenone in the presence of Cu2+. 4. Chicken pepsin was almost completely inactivated by 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane at 25 degrees C, 3-4mol of inhibitor/mol being incorporated. The reaction at 10 degrees C was investigated briefly. 5. Calf chymosin was inactivated by 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane at 10 degrees C, the incorporation of 1 mol/mol being required for complete inhibition. 6. The characteristics of the reactions of chicken pepsin with the above compounds were compared with those of other acid proteinases.     

The effect of thiamine and its metabolites on pepsin and trypsin activity

The presence of thiochrome in the incubation medium increases the pepsin activity. Thiamine pyrophosphate decrease the pepsin and trypsin activity. The established facts may be important for the physiological regulation of proteases activity in the stomach-intestine tract.     

Inhibitory effect of sorbin on pepsin secretion in conscious cats and rabbits

Sorbin, a 153 amino acid polypeptide isolated from porcine upper small intestine and its shortest synthetic derivative, the C-terminal heptapeptide (C7-sorbin), substituted by D alaninamide in the last position (D7-sorbin), have proabsorptive and antisecretory effect in the different parts of the intestine. We showed that labeled C7-sorbin accumulated not only in the enterocytes and the enteric nervous system but also in the gastric chief cells in the rat. The chief cell secretion of pepsin was then studied in two other species, the cat and the rabbit, simultaneously with the acid secretion of parietal cells. Lipase secretion was studied in the rabbit because lipase is exclusively secreted by the upper cells of the fundic glands, which do not secrete pepsin. The animals were equipped with a gastric fistula, fully innervated, and a Heidenhain pouch, vagally denervated, during a continuous perfusion of pentagastrin (PG) 2 microg/kg. h and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) 4 microg/kg. h. D7-sorbin (100 pmol/kg. h) inhibited cat and rabbit pepsin secretion from the innervated gastric fistula secretion and from the cat denervated Heidenhain pouc secretion, but was without effect on acid secretion and lipase secretion. These data indicate that the inhibitory effect of sorbin is specific on chief cells because the acid parietal cell secretion in both species and lipase upper cell secretion of the fundic glands, in the rabbit, are not implicated.     

Cryoenzymology of porcine pepsin

Physical and kinetic properties of porcine pepsin have been examined in aqueous methanol solvents at temperatures below ambient to seek evidence for covalent intermediates in the catalyzed hydrolysis of good substrates. It was first demonstrated that aqueous methanol cryosolvents have no significant deleterious effects upon this protein. The addition of methanol does lead to a drastic reduction in the midpoint of the thermal melting curve of pepsin. This could account for rate reductions previously observed in catalysis by this enzyme. This effect is lessened by the addition of active-site ligands including substrates and is fully reversible upon dilution into aqueous solution. Two substrates were chosen which have chromophoric groups on opposite sides of the scissile peptide bond. The UV spectral changes from hydrolysis of Pro-Thr-Glu-Phe-(NO2)Phe-Arg-Leu and the fluorescence spectral changes from hydrolysis of DNS-Ala-Ala-Phe-Phe-OP4P+-CH3 were studied at temperatures down to -60 degrees C. The resulting Arrhenius plots were linear in the region where pepsin exists in the native state with downward curvature exhibited at higher temperatures where the reversible denaturation occurs. No "burst" reactions were observed with either substrate. In addition, efforts at trapping intermediates by low-temperature denaturation and precipitation have provided no evidence for covalent intermediates on the reaction pathway. Although this evidence is negative, we cannot rule out the possibility of the formation of covalent intermediates following an initial rate-limiting step.     

Structural basis for the inhibition of porcine pepsin by Ascaris pepsin inhibitor-3

The three-dimensional structures of pepsin inhibitor-3 (PI-3) from Ascaris suum and of the complex between PI-3 and porcine pepsin at 1. 75 A and 2.45 A resolution, respectively, have revealed the mechanism of aspartic protease inhibition by this unique inhibitor. PI-3 has a new fold consisting of two domains, each comprising an antiparallel beta-sheet flanked by an alpha-helix. In the enzyme-inhibitor complex, the N-terminal beta-strand of PI-3 pairs with one strand of the 'active site flap' (residues 70-82) of pepsin, thus forming an eight-stranded beta-sheet that spans the two proteins. PI-3 has a novel mode of inhibition, using its N-terminal residues to occupy and therefore block the first three binding pockets in pepsin for substrate residues C-terminal to the scissile bond (S1'-S3'). The molecular structure of the pepsin-PI-3 complex suggests new avenues for the rational design of proteinaceous aspartic proteinase inhibitors.