Purification and characterization of Manduca sexta prophenoloxidase-activating proteinase-1, an enzyme involved in insect immune responses

Early on, we reported the partial purification of prophenoloxidase-activating proteinase-1 (PAP-1) from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95 (1998) 12220]. PAP-1 requires an auxiliary factor for generating active phenoloxidase (PO) [Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 33 (2003) 197; Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 34 (2004) 731]. To further characterize their roles in the proteolytic activation of prophenoloxidase (proPO), we purified PAP-1 to near homogeneity by hydroxylapatite, dextran sulfate, gel filtration, and lectin affinity chromatography. With 2.4 x 10(3)-fold purification and 20% yield, we obtained 63 microg PAP-1 from about 120 M. sexta prepupal cuticles (approximately 400 g). The purified glycoprotein (Mr=39,810+/-20; pI=5.6) had the highest amidase activity at pH 8.0 and a low salt concentration. The optimal conditions for proPO activation by PAP-1 and SPHs were: pH 8.0-8.4, PAP:SPH=1.5:1, and 0-10 degrees C for 40-50 min. While PAP-1 and SPHs are reasonably heat stable, PO activity generated after 1h incubation was lower at 20 or 30 degrees C than 0-10 degrees C because activated PO was unstable at a higher temperature. The KMs of PAP-1 toward IEARpNA and proPO were 201+/-18 microM and 16.6+/-3.0 microg/ml, respectively, and the absence of SPHs did not significantly affect KM for the synthetic substrate. PO activity and proPO cleavage were reduced in reaction mixtures containing the same amounts of proPO, PAP-1, and SPHs but increasing concentrations of NaCl. Ionic strength of the reaction buffer may reduce proPO-PAP-SPH interactions, proPO processing, and PO assembly.     

The role of HiTI, a serine protease inhibitor from Haematobia irritans irritans (Diptera: Muscidae) in the control of fly and bacterial proteases

Blood-sucking arthropods are vectors responsible for the transmission of several pathogens and parasites to vertebrate animals. The horn fly Haematobia irritans irritans (Diptera: Muscidae) and the tick Boophilus microplus are important hematophagous ectoparasites that cause losses in cattle production. A serine protease inhibitor from a thorax extract of the fly H. irritans irritans (HiTI) was previously isolated, characterized and cloned. In the present study we described the expression, purification, and characterization of the recombinant HiTI (rHiTI) and its possible role in the control of different endogenous and bacterial proteases. rHiTI was successfully expressed using the pPIC9 expression vector with a yield of 4.2 mg/L of active rHiTI. The recombinant HiTI purified by affinity chromatography on trypsin-Sepharose had a molecular mass of 6.53 kDa as determined by LS-ESI mass spectrometry and inhibition constants (Kis) similar to those of native HiTI for bovine trypsin and human neutrophil elastase of 0.4 and 1.0 nM, respectively. Purified rHiTI also showed inhibitory activity against the trypsin-like enzyme of H. i. irritans using its possible natural substrates, fibrinogen and hemoglobin; and also inhibited the OmpT endoprotease of Escherichia coli using fluorogenic substrates. The present results confirm that HiTI may play a role in the control of fly endogenous proteases but also suggest a role in the inhibition of pathogen proteases.     

The Crystal Structure of a Trypsin-like Mutant Chymotrypsin: The Role of Position 226 in the Activity and Specificity of S189D Chymotrypsin

The crystal structure of the S189D+A226G rat chymotrypsin-B mutant has been determined at 2.2 angstroms resolution. This mutant is the most trypsin-like mutant so far in the line of chymotrypsin-to-trypsin conversions, aiming for a more complete understanding of the structural basis of substrate specificity in pancreatic serine proteases. A226G caused significant rearrangements relative to S189D chymotrypsin, allowing an internal conformation of Asp189 which is close to that in trypsin. Serious distortions remain, however, in the activation domain, including zymogen-like features. The pH-profile of activity suggests that the conformation of the S1-site of the mutant is influenced also by the P1 residue of the substrate.