Carboxypeptidase activity in the insulin secretory granule

Carboxypeptidase activity was studied in subcellular fractions from a transplantable rat insulinoma and found to be localised principally in the insulin secretory granule. The activity, which was specific for peptide substrates with C-terminal basic amino acids, appeared to be a single enzyme with M_r 54 000. This enzyme differed with respect to size and pH optimum from other basic amino acid-specific carboxypeptidases, such as carboxypeptidases B and N, and may be a secretory granule-specific enzyme involved in propolypeptide processing.     

Zebrafish Cytosolic Carboxypeptidases 1 and 5 Are Essential for Embryonic Development

The cytosolic carboxypeptidases (CCPs) are a subfamily of metalloenzymes within the larger M14 family of carboxypeptidases that have been implicated in the post-translational modification of tubulin. It has been suggested that at least four of the six mammalian CCPs function as tubulin deglutamylases. However, it is not yet clear whether these enzymes play redundant or unique roles within the cell. To address this question, genes encoding CCPs were identified in the zebrafish genome. Analysis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction indicated that CCP1, CCP2, CCP5, and CCP6 mRNAs were detectable between 2 h and 8 days postfertilization with highest levels 5–8 days postfertilization. CCP1, CCP2, and CCP5 mRNAs were predominantly expressed in tissues such as the brain, olfactory placodes, and pronephric ducts. Morpholino oligonucleotide-mediated knockdown of CCP1 and CCP5 mRNA resulted in a common phenotype including ventral body curvature and hydrocephalus. Confocal microscopy of morphant zebrafish revealed olfactory placodes with defective morphology as well as pronephric ducts with increased polyglutamylation. These data suggest that CCP1 and CCP5 play important roles in developmental processes, particularly the development and functioning of cilia. The robust and similar defects upon knockdown suggest that each CCP may have a function in microtubule modification and ciliary function and that other CCPs are not able to compensate for the loss of one.     

Intracellular localisation of some peptidases and α-mannosidase in cotyledons of resting kidney bean, Phaseolus vulgaris

Cotyledons of resting kidney beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris , L., cv. "Processor") contain high activities of two alkaline peptidases, an aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11) acting on Leu-Tyr and Leu-Gly-Gly and a dipeptidase (EC 3.4.13) hydrolysing Ala-Gly together with low activities of neutral naphthyiamidases (marker substrate Leu-β-NA) and of acid carboxypeptidases (EC 3.4.16; marker substrate Z-Phe-Ala). The intracellular localisation of these peptidases and that of α-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.24) was studied by subcellular fractionations in different media. In density gradient centrifugations in non-aqueous glycerol-potassium iodide media the alkaline peptidases remained mainly in the application zone suggesting localisation in the cytosol. The carboxypeptidase and α-mannosidase activities banded mainly in the protein body zone, but about 15–30% of each activity was found in the cell wall zone. Results obtained by short centrifugation in glycerol or high-density sucrose solutions (65/70%) and by the isolation of essentially pure cell wall fractions confirmed these assignments. The results are in accordance with previous suggestions that the abundant alkaline peptidases may play a role in the mobilization of reserve proteins in germinated seeds by hydrolysing peptides which are produced initially within the protein bodies by acid proteinases and carboxypeptidases and which subsequently leak out or are transported from the autolyzing protein bodies to the cytosol.     

Midgut exopeptidase activities in Aedes aegypti are induced by blood feeding

Midgut extracts from Aedes aegypti females exhibited hydrolytic activities against synthetic substrates for carboxypeptidase A, carboxyopeptidase B and leucine-aminopeptidase. The three activities showed a broad pH optimum, with maximum activities at pH between 6.5 and 8.5. Enzymatic activities were further characterized by testing the effects of a variety of protease inhibitors. Captopril and 1-10-phenantroline inhibited the activities of carboxypeptidases A and B, while leuhistin, amastatin and bestatin inhibited aminopeptidase activity. Exopeptidase activities were induced by a blood meal and the highest activities were found during the peak of trypsin activity, about 20-24 h after feeding. An amino acid meal failed to induce significant increases in any of the three exopeptidase activities. The amounts of exopeptidase activities induced were proportional to the protein concentration of the meal. The addition of soy-trypsin inhibitor to the protein meal blocked the post-feeding induction of exopeptidases. The features of the induction of synthesis of the three exopeptidase activities resembled the induction of synthesis of late trypsin during the second phase of digestion.     

Phytochelatins are synthesized by two vacuolar serine carboxypeptidases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Phytochelatins (PCs) are cysteine-rich peptides that chelate heavy metal ions, thereby mediating heavy metal tolerance in plants, fission yeast, and Caenorhabditis elegans. They are synthesized from glutathione by PC synthase, a specific dipeptidyltransferase. While Saccharomyces cerevisiae synthesizes PCs upon exposure to heavy metal ions, the S. cerevisiae genome does not encode a PC synthase homologue. How PCs are synthesized in yeast is unclear. This study shows that the vacuolar serine carboxypeptidases CPY and CPC are responsible for PC synthesis in yeast. The finding of a PCS-like activity of these enzymes in vivo discloses another route for PC biosynthesis in eukaryotes.     

Peptidase activities during morphogenesis of Mucor racemosus

Multiple peptidase activities are expressed in the dimorphic fungus Mucor racemosus. Peptide hydrolysis was measured using an enzyme-coupled colorimetric assay. Aminopeptidase as well as carboxypeptidase activities increased during spore, swollen spore, and budding yeast-to-hyphae conversions, and activities achieved a maximum level prior to the period of rapid germ tube formation. These increases in peptidase activity were prevented by cycloheximide. Three distinct aminopeptidases (AP) and three distinct carboxypeptidases (CP) were partially purified by gel filtration column chromatography. AP1 (235 kDa), AP2 (112 kDa), and AP3 (70 kDa) were all expressed in spore, yeast, and hyphae. The activity levels of AP2 and AP3 decreased in hyphae entering stationary growth. CP1 (250 kDa) and CP3 (50 kDa) activities were expressed exclusively in hyphae, whereas CP2 (77 kDa) was expressed in spore, yeast, and hyphal forms. CP1 activity was most pronounced in hyphae entering stationary growth. We concluded that M. racemosus expresses a multiplicity of peptidases and that CP1 and CP3 are morphology-specific carboxypeptidases.     

Metallocarboxypeptidases: a cadmium-carboxypeptidase B with peptidase activity

The replacement of zinc by a series of other metal ions (Co, Cd, Mn) resulted in enzymatically active carboxypeptidases both as peptidases and esterases. The effect of the metal replacement on the kinetic parameters varies for the various substrates. Cd-CPB, previously known for its lack of peptidase activity, shows enhenced activity as long as the substrate interact with four subsites (including the N-terminal blocking group). Kinetic measurements and chemical modification revealed differences in the nature of the residues necessary for the proper alignment along the active site between the Zn and Cd carboxypeptidases. A simple explanation of the data observed is based on the assumption that replacement of the metal affects the microenvironment of the active site.     

Crystal structure of novel metallocarboxypeptidase inhibitor from marine mollusk Nerita versicolor in complex with human carboxypeptidase A4

NvCI is a novel exogenous proteinaceous inhibitor of metallocarboxypeptidases from the marine snail Nerita versicolor. The complex between human carboxypeptidase A4 and NvCI has been crystallized and determined at 1.7 Å resolution. The NvCI structure defines a distinctive protein fold basically composed of a two-stranded antiparallel β-sheet connected by three loops and the inhibitory C-terminal tail and stabilized by three disulfide bridges. NvCI is a tight-binding inhibitor that interacts with the active site of the enzyme in a substrate-like manner. NvCI displays an extended and novel interface with human carboxypeptidase A4, responsible for inhibitory constants in the picomolar range for some members of the M14A subfamily of carboxypeptidases. This makes NvCI the strongest inhibitor reported so far for this family. The structural homology displayed by the C-terminal tails of different carboxypeptidase inhibitors represents a relevant example of convergent evolution.     

Electrochemiluminescence assay for basic carboxypeptidases: inhibition of basic carboxypeptidases and activation of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor

Carboxypeptidases catalyze the removal of the C-terminal amino acid residues in peptides and proteins and exert important biological functions. Assays for carboxypeptidase activity that rely on change of absorbance generally suffer from low sensitivity and are difficult to adapt to high-throughput screening. We have developed a sensitive, robust assay for basic carboxypeptidase activity that makes use of electrochemiluminescent (ECL) detection of reaction product. In this assay, a peptide substrate contains the epitope for antibody (G2-10) binding which is masked by a C-terminal arginine. Carboxypeptidase activity exposes the epitope, allowing the binding of ruthenylated G2-10 which is then detected using ECL. High sensitivity allowed detection limits of 1-2 pM enzyme for carboxypeptidase B and activated thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFIa). The inhibition of several basic carboxypeptidases by commercially available inhibitors was studied. This antibody-based method can be extended to other sensitive detection techniques such as amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay. The high sensitivity of the assay allowed the determination of the activatable levels of TAFI in human and other animal plasma in the presence of epsilon -aminocaproic acid, an active-site inhibitor that stabilizes TAFIa. A method to isolate in situ activated TAFIa from human serum in the presence of epsilon -aminocaproic acid was also developed.     

Amyloid Formation by Human Carboxypeptidase D Transthyretin-like Domain under Physiological Conditions

Protein aggregation is linked to a growing list of diseases, but it is also an intrinsic property of polypeptides, because the formation of functional globular proteins comes at the expense of an inherent aggregation propensity. Certain proteins can access aggregation-prone states from native-like conformations without the need to cross the energy barrier for unfolding. This is the case of transthyretin (TTR), a homotetrameric protein whose dissociation into its monomers initiates the aggregation cascade. Domains with structural homology to TTR exist in a number of proteins, including the M14B subfamily carboxypeptidases. We show here that the monomeric transthyretin-like domain of human carboxypeptidase D aggregates under close to physiological conditions into amyloid structures, with the population of folded but aggregation-prone states being controlled by the conformational stability of the domain. We thus confirm that the TTR fold keeps a generic residual aggregation propensity upon folding, resulting from the presence of preformed amyloidogenic β-strands in the native state. These structural elements should serve for functional/structural purposes, because they have not been purged out by evolution, but at the same time they put proteins like carboxypeptidase D at risk of aggregation in biological environments and thus can potentially lead to deposition diseases.     

Comparison of the Enzymatic and Functional Properties of Three Cytosolic Carboxypeptidase Family Members

Nna1 (CCP1) defines a subfamily of M14 metallocarboxypeptidases (CCP1–6) and is mutated in pcd (Purkinje cell degeneration) mice. Nna1, CCP4, and CCP6 are involved in the post-translational process of polyglutamylation, where they catalyze the removal of polyglutamate side chains. However, it is unknown whether these three cytosolic carboxypeptidases share identical enzymatic properties and redundant biological functions. We show that like Nna1, purified recombinant CCP4 and CCP6 deglutamylate tubulin, but unlike Nna1, neither rescues Purkinje cell degeneration in pcd mice, indicating that they do not have identical functions. Using biotin-based synthetic substrates, we established that the three enzymes are distinguishable based upon individual preferences for glutamate chain length, the amino acid immediately adjacent to the glutamate chain, and whether their activity is enhanced by nearby acidic amino acids. Nna1 and CCP4 remove the C-terminal glutamate from substrates with two or more glutamates, whereas CCP6 requires four or more glutamates. CCP4 behaves as a promiscuous glutamase, with little preference for chain length or neighboring amino acid composition. Besides glutamate chain length dependence, Nna1 and CCP6 exhibit higher k_cat/K_m when substrates contain nearby acidic amino acids. All cytosolic carboxypeptidases exhibit a monoglutamase activity when aspartic acid precedes a single glutamate, which, together with their other individual preferences for flanking amino acids, greatly increases the potential substrates for these enzymes and the biological processes in which they act. Additionally, Nna1 metabolized substrates mimicking the C terminus of tubulin in a way suggesting that the tyrosinated form of tubulin will accumulate in pcd mice.     

Purification and Some Properties of Two Carboxypeptidases from the Hepatopancreas of the Crab Paralithodes camtschatica

High activity of carboxypeptidases was detected in the hepatopancreas of the crab Paralithodes camtschatica, while aminopeptidase activity in this tissue was low. Two crab carboxypeptidases were purified by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, phenyl-Sepharose, and Sephadex G-75 to homogeneity. The molecular weight values of carboxypeptidases I and II were 40,000 and 37,000, respectively. The isoelectric point value for both carboxypeptidases was 4.5. The crab carboxypeptidases were activated by NaCl, with maximal activity of carboxypeptidases I and II at 1.0 M and 0.6 M NaCl, respectively. Using 19 N-blocked dipeptides with the general structures Bz-Gly-X and Z-Gly-X, broad substrate specificity of the purified enzymes was demonstrated. Under optimal conditions the values of K _m and k _cat for the hydrolysis of Bz-Gly-l-Phe, Bz-Gly-l-Arg, and Bz-Gly-l-Lys by crab carboxypeptidases were determined. Inhibition data led to classification of the crab enzymes as metallopeptidases. Both carboxypeptidases were stable under neutral and mildly alkaline conditions. In addition, the presence of 1 M NaCl decreased the thermostability of the crab carboxypeptidases. Received August 13, 1999; accepted November 19, 1999.     

Acid Carboxypeptidases in Grains and Leaves of Wheat, Triticum aestivum L

Extracts of resting and germinating (3 days at 20°C) wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Ruso) grains rapidly hydrolyzed various benzyloxycarbonyldipeptides (Z-dipeptides) at pH 4 to 6. Similar activities were present in extracts of mature flag leaves. Fractionation by chromatography on CM-cellulose and on Sephadex G-200 showed that the activities in germinating grains were due to five acid carboxypeptidases with different and complementary substrate specificities. The wheat enzymes appeared to correspond to the five acid carboxypeptidases present in germinating barley (L Mikola 1983 Biochim Biophys Acta 747: 241-252). The enzymes were designated wheat carboxypeptidases I to V and their best or most characteristic substrates and approximate molecular weights were: I, Z-Phe-Ala, 120,000; II, Z-Ala-Arg, 120,000; III, Z-Ala-Phe, 40,000; IV, Z-Pro-Ala, 165,000; and V, Z-Pro-Ala, 150,000. Resting grains contained carboxypeptidase II as a series of three isoenzymes and low activities of carboxypeptidases IV and V. During germination the activity of carboxypeptidase II decreased, those of carboxypeptidases IV and V increased, and high activities of carboxypeptidases I and III appeared. The flag leaves contained high activity of carboxypeptidase I and lower activities of carboxypeptidases II, IV, and V, whereas carboxypeptidase III was absent.     

Identification of Tubulin Deglutamylase among Caenorhabditis elegans and Mammalian Cytosolic Carboxypeptidases (CCPs)

Tubulin polyglutamylation is a reversible post-translational modification, serving important roles in microtubule (MT)-related processes. Polyglutamylases of the tubulin tyrosine ligase-like (TTLL) family add glutamate moieties to specific tubulin glutamate residues, whereas as yet unknown deglutamylases shorten polyglutamate chains. First we investigated regulatory machinery of tubulin glutamylation in MT-based sensory cilia of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that ciliary MTs were polyglutamylated by a process requiring ttll-4. Conversely, loss of ccpp-6 gene function, which encodes one of two cytosolic carboxypeptidases (CCPs), resulted in elevated levels of ciliary MT polyglutamylation. Consistent with a deglutamylase function for ccpp-6, overexpression of this gene in ciliated cells decreased polyglutamylation signals. Similarly, we confirmed that overexpression of murine CCP5, one of two sequence orthologs of nematode ccpp-6, caused a dramatic loss of MT polyglutamylation in cultured mammalian cells. Finally, using an in vitro assay for tubulin glutamylation, we found that recombinantly expressed Myc-tagged CCP5 exhibited deglutamylase biochemical activities. Together, these data from two evolutionarily divergent systems identify C. elegans CCPP-6 and its mammalian ortholog CCP5 as a tubulin deglutamylase.     

Chymotrypsin C is a co-activator of human pancreatic procarboxypeptidases A1 and A2

Human digestive carboxypeptidases CPA1, CPA2, and CPB1 are secreted by the pancreas as inactive proenzymes containing a 94-96-amino acid-long propeptide. Activation of procarboxypeptidases is initiated by proteolytic cleavage at the C-terminal end of the propeptide by trypsin. Here, we demonstrate that subsequent cleavage of the propeptide by chymotrypsin C (CTRC) induces a nearly 10-fold increase in the activity of trypsin-activated CPA1 and CPA2, whereas CPB1 activity is unaffected. Other human pancreatic proteases such as chymotrypsin B1, chymotrypsin B2, chymotrypsin-like enzyme-1, elastase 2A, elastase 3A, or elastase 3B are inactive or markedly less effective at promoting procarboxypeptidase activation. On the basis of these observations, we propose that CTRC is a physiological co-activator of proCPA1 and proCPA2. Furthermore, the results confirm and extend the notion that CTRC is a key regulator of digestive zymogen activation.     

Key peptide processing enzymes are expressed by a variant form of small-cell carcinoma of the lung

Small-cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL) is a neuroendocrine tumor characterized by having the capacity to produce and secrete a number of small neuropeptides. These peptides serve the tumor as autocrine growth factors. SCCL is known to undergo a process of dedifferentiation to a variant (drug-resistant) form, and this process is associated with loss of marker enzymes such as neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and dopa decarboxylase (DDC). The current study was designed to discover if variant SCCL, represented by cell line NCI H82, retains some capacity to generate active neuropeptides (like vasopressin) from their precursors by continuing to express the three key classes of enzymes necessary for such conversions, namely prohormone convertases (PCs), carboxypeptidases (CPs), and peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM). RT-PCR for mRNAs representing PC1, PC2, CPE, and PAM was performed on total RNA extracted from NCI H82. The primers selected for PCR and partial sequencing were synthetic 20, 21, 22, and 24 oligomers designed to yield products of 533, 880, 405, and 560 base pairs (bp) for PC1, PC2, CPE, and PAM, respectively. For the conditions used, we were able to demonstrate products for all four enzymes. Each of the four products generated were of the expected size. Cloning and sequencing of these products revealed that each had a structure identical to that published for the human form of the respective enzyme. Western analysis with antibodies against PC1, PC2, CPE, and PAM, provided evidence that mRNAs for the four enzymes are translated into proteins that could represent functional forms. Our findings therefore demonstrate that key enzymes involved in the generation of active neuropeptides, unlike the marker enzymes NSE and DDC, continue to be expressed by variant SCCL.     

Estrogens, trypsin-like proteases and carboxypeptidases A and B in womb body tumors

The interrelationship between activity of trypsin-like proteases, carboxypeptidases A and B and the estrogen level in the womb body tissues has been studied. Results of correlation analysis suggest the existence of induction of trypsin-like proteases by estrogens; these proteases activate carboxypeptidases A and B from their zymogens. It has been shown, that carboxypeptidases may play essential role in the malignization process.     

Structure and Function of REP34 Implicates Carboxypeptidase Activity in Francisella tularensis Host Cell Invasion

Francisella tularensis is the etiological agent of tularemia, or rabbit fever. Although F. tularensis is a recognized biothreat agent with broad and expanding geographical range, its mechanism of infection and environmental persistence remain poorly understood. Previously, we identified seven F. tularensis proteins that induce a rapid encystment phenotype (REP) in the free-living amoeba, Acanthamoeba castellanii. Encystment is essential to the pathogen''s long term intracellular survival in the amoeba. Here, we characterize the cellular and molecular function of REP34, a REP protein with a mass of 34 kDa. A REP34 knock-out strain of F. tularensis has a reduced ability to both induce encystment in A. castellanii and invade human macrophages. We determined the crystal structure of REP34 to 2.05-Å resolution and demonstrate robust carboxypeptidase B-like activity for the enzyme. REP34 is a zinc-containing monomeric protein with close structural homology to the metallocarboxypeptidase family of peptidases. REP34 possesses a novel topology and substrate binding pocket that deviates from the canonical funnelin structure of carboxypeptidases, putatively resulting in a catalytic role for a conserved tyrosine and distinct S1′ recognition site. Taken together, these results identify REP34 as an active carboxypeptidase, implicate the enzyme as a potential key F. tularensis effector protein, and may help elucidate a mechanistic understanding of F. tularensis infection of phagocytic cells.