Reconstitution of new inhibitors through mutual exchange of Ile(64)-Met(84) peptides of soybean trypsin inhibitors, Tia and Tib

Singly modified soybean trypsin inhibitors (STIs), Tia* [Tia cleaved at Arg(63)-Ile(64)] and Tib* [Tib cleaved at Arg(63)-Ile(64)], were prepared by limited proteolysis with trypsin at pH 3.0. These singly modified inhibitors were further modified to yield doubly modified inhibitors, Tia** and Tib**, by limited proteolysis with subtilisin BPN', which cleaved the Met(84)-Leu(85) bonds of Tia* and Tib*, respectively. The doubly modified inhibitors could be separated into two parts: protein moiety A and peptide moiety a (IRFIAEGHPLSLKFDS-FAVIM) for Tia**, and protein moiety B and peptide moiety b (IRFIAEGNPLRLKFDS-FAVIM) for Tib**. These protein and peptide moieties showed no trypsin inhibitory activities alone. However, the inhibitors can be reconstituted through the mutual exchange of the protein and peptide moieties isolated from STIs. The reconstituted inhibitor which has tyrosine at position 62 and histidine at position 71 shows the highest inhibitory activity. Its Ki value for bovine trypsin is around 10(-10) M, which is almost the same as that of Tia for bovine trypsin. The inhibitor possessing either tyrosine at position 62 or histidine at position 71 exhibits a Ki value of around 10(-9) M, which is between those of Tia and Tib. The inhibitor having phenylalanine and asparagine at positions 62 and 71, respectively, shows the weakest inhibitory activity of around 10(-8) M similar to that of Tib for bovine trypsin.     

Entity evidence for differentiation between Tia and Tib types of soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor: detection of a novel transitional variant type between Tia and Tib in wild soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. & Zucc.)

Soybean Kunit trypsin inhibitor (SKTI) has several polymorphic types. Of these SKTI, there are large differences of nine amino acid substitutions between Tia and Tib. So far no transitional type between them has been found. A novel transitional intermediate variant between Tia and Tib was detected in 11 lines from 720 Japanese wild soybeans (Glycine soja Sieb. & Zucc.). This variant showed identical electrophoretic mobility to Tib in the Davis system polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), but higher electric points than other SKTI proteins (Tia, Tib, Tic) in isoelectric focusing PAGE. The genetic analysis of SKTI in F₂ seeds from a cross between the novel variant type and Tib showed that this variant type is inherited as codominant alleles in a multiple allelic system at an SKTI locus. This variant also showed inhibitory activity to trypsin. We propose the genetic symbol Ti b ⁱ⁵ for this novel variant. The sequence analysis of Tib ⁱ⁵ revealed that six nucleotides were different between Tib ⁱ⁵ and Tia, and the nucleotides of these mutated positions were identical to Tib. This causes substitution of five amino acids at the residue position 62 (Tyr→Phe), 74 (Ser→Arg), 114 (Met→Val), 120 (Leu→Ile) and 137 (Pro→Thr). These substitutive amino acids are completely in accord with the amino acids of Tib, showing that Tib ⁱ⁵ is an intermediate between Tia and Tib types. Tib ⁱ⁵ type is widely distributed throughout seven separate areas from northeast to southwest Japan with a 1.5% frequency of total materials examined. This indicated that Tib ⁱ⁵ type did not originate from a recent mutation event, but had spread in wild soybean from ancient times.     

Proteomic characterization of Kunitz trypsin inhibitor variants, Tia and Tib, in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

The soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTi) has several polymorphic variants. Of these, Tia and Tib, which differ by nine amino acids, are the two main types. In this study, differences in KTi proteome between Tia and Tib were investigated using three soybean cultivars and three mutant lines. Two cultivars, Baekwoon (BW) and Paldal (PD), and one mutant line, SW115-24, were Tia type, whereas one soybean cultivar, Suwon115 (SW115), and two mutant lines, BW-7-2 and PD-5-10, were Tib type. Protein from the six soybean lines was extracted and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (non-denaturing PAGE), and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE). By SDS-PAGE, there was no difference between soybean cultivars and mutant lines, except for SW115-24. Western blot analysis revealed that, in comparison with Tia, Tib type accumulated relatively low amounts of KTi. By non-denaturing PAGE, the three soybean lines of Tib type were characterized by slower mobility than the three soybean lines of Tia type. Zymography detected eight distinct zones of trypsin inhibitory activity among which Tia and Tib lacked the fifth and sixth zone, respectively. By two-dimensional native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DN), the spots related to trypsin inhibitory activity showed different mobilities, whereas only one KTi (21.5?kDa) spot was resolved by 2-DE. By two-dimensional zymography (2-DZ), Tib showed a broader activity zone (pI 4-7) in comparison with Tia (pI 4-5). The results indicate that the genotypes with a different type of KTi present different proteomic profiles and trypsin inhibitory activities.     

Studies on soybean trypsin inhibitors. XI. Complete amino acid sequence of a soybean trypsin-chymotrypsin-elastase inhibitor, C-II

Soybean inhibitor C-II, which inhibits trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, and elastase, was reduced and S-carboxymethylated, and digested with trypsin. The amino acid sequences of the resulting tryptic peptides were determined by conventional methods, establishing the complete 76-amino acid sequence of the inhibitor. Inhibitor C-II was found to be homologous with soybean (Glycine max) Bowman-Birk inhibitor and more closely related to an inhibitor from garden beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). The homology with these inhibitors and the limited proteolysis of C-II indicated the reactive sites of C-II for elastase and trypsin to be alanine-22 and arginine-49, respectively. Arginine-49 was also identified as a reactive site for alpha-chymotrypsin. It was found that only a few replacements of one or two amino acid residues around the reactive sites resulted in considerable alteration of the inhibitory specificity.     

Partial amino acid sequences around sulfhydryl groups of soybean beta-amylase

Sulfhydryl (SH) groups of soybean beta-amylase were modified with 5-(iodoaceto-amidoethyl)aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate (IAEDANS) and the SH-containing peptides exhibiting fluorescence were purified after chymotryptic digestion of the modified enzyme. The sequence analysis of the peptides derived from the modification of all SH groups in the denatured enzyme revealed the existence of six SH groups, in contrast to five reported previously. One of them was found to have extremely low reactivity toward SH-reagents without reduction. In the native state, IAEDANS reacted with 2 mol of SH groups per mol of the enzyme (SH1 and SH2) accompanied with inactivation of the enzyme owing to the modification of SH2 located near the active site of this enzyme. The selective modification of SH2 with IAEDANS was attained after the blocking of SH1 with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid). The amino acid sequences of the peptides containing SH1 and SH2 were determined to be Cys-Ala-Asn-Pro-Gln and His-Gln-Cys-Gly-Gly-Asn-Val-Gly-Asp-Ile-Val-Asn-Ile-Pro-Ile-Pro-Gln-Trp, respectively.     

Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitors derived by limited proteolysis of the inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor, IV. The amino acid sequence of the human urinary trypsin inhibitor isolated by affinity chromatography

An acid-resistant trypsin inhibitor from human urine and serum is released in vivo by limited proteolysis from the high molecular acid-labile inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor. The inhibitor shows an apparent molecular mass of 30 000 Da and is composed of two Kunitz-type domains. The domains are released in vitro by prolonged tryptic hydrolysis. The C-terminal domain is responsible for antitryptic activity. For the other domain no inhibitory activity towards proteinases, i.e. chymotrypsin, trypsin, pancreatic and leucocytic elastase has been demonstrated so far. The polypeptide chain comprising both domains consists of 122 residues and has a molecular mass of only 13 400 Da. In this work we have found that both, the N-terminal extension peptide with 21 residues and the "inactive" domain are linked O-glycosidically and N-glycosidically, respectively, with large carbohydrate moieties. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the human urinary trypsin inhibitor was determined by solid-phase Edman degradation of a single peptide. The molecular mass calculated for the total polypeptide chain of 143 residues should be 15 340 Da; from the difference to the measured value (30 000 Da) it is concluded that the glycopeptide contains a considerable carbohydrate moiety.     

Analysis of the amino acid sequences of plant Bowman-Birk inhibitors

Plant seeds contain a large number of protease inhibitors of animal, fungal, and bacterial origin. One of the well-studied families of these inhibitors is the Bowman-Birk family(BBI). The BBIs from dicotyledonous seeds are 8K, double-headed proteins. In contrast, the 8K inhibitors from monocotyledonous seeds are single headed. Monocots also have a 16K, double-headed inhibitor. We have determined the primary structure of a Bowman-Birk inhibitor from a dicot, horsegram, by sequential edman analysis of the intact protein and peptides derived from enzymatic and chemical cleavage. The 76-residue-long inhibitor is very similar to that ofMacrotyloma axillare. An analysis of this inhibitor along with 26 other Bowman-Birk inhibitor domains (MW 8K) available in the SWISSPROT databank revealed that the proteins from monocots and dicots belong to related but distinct families. Inhibitors from monocots show larger variation in sequence. Sequence comparison shows that a crucial disulphide which connects the amino and carboxy termini of the active site loop is lost in monocots. The loss of a reactive site in monocots seems to be correlated to this. However, it appears that this disulphide is not absolutely essential for retention of inhibitory function. Our analysis suggests that gene duplication leading to a 16K inhibitor in monocots has occurred, probably after the divergence of monocots and dicots, and also after the loss of second reactive site in monocots. S. Selvaraj is on leave from Department of Physics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli 620 024, Tamilnadu, India Correspondence to: M.R.N. Murthy     

Characterization of urinary proteinase inhibitors with segments of amino acids sequences identical to sequences of pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor

1. Slow migrating proteinase inhibitors were isolated from pathological human urine. 2. The N-terminal amino acid sequence including 23 amino acids was identical to the one in pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor. 3. The slow migrating proteinase inhibitors occurred in 3 forms with different electrophoretic mobility. 4. Time of flight mass spectrometry showed that the Mw of one of the forms was 6241 while the Mw of another form was 5923. 5. The Ki of complexes with trypsin was determined to be 1 x 10(-10) M, with chymotrypsin and plasmin Ki was 1 x 10(-7) M. Elastase, kallikrein and thrombin were not inhibited.     

Studies on soybean trypsin inhibitors. X. Isolation and partial characterization of four soybean double-headed proteinase inhibitors

Four Bowman-Birk type double-headed inhibitors (B, C-II, D-II, and E-I) were isolated from soybeans. Inhibitor B was different from Bowman-Birk inhibitor only in chromatographic behavior. One mole of C-II inhibited one mole each of bovine trypsin and bovine alpha-chymotrypsin, probably at the same site, and porcine elastase at another reactive site. In the ordinary assay system D-II and E-I inhibited only trypsin activity at a non-stoichiometric inhibitor-enzyme ratio of 1:1.4, and the complexes had rather high dissociation constants. These inhibitors were all inactive toward subtilisin BPN'.