Regulation of Neutral Protease Productivity in Bacillus subtilis: Transformation of High Protease Productivity

A transformable strain of Bacillus subtilis 6160, a derivative of B. subtilis 168, produces three kinds of casein hydrolytic enzymes (alkaline protease, neutral protease, and esterase) in a culture medium. B. natto IAM 1212 produces 15 to 20 times as much total proteolytic activity as does B. subtilis. Extracellular proteases produced by the two strains were separated into each enzyme fraction by diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex A-50 column chromatography. The difference in the total protease activities of extracellular proteases between the two strains was due to the amount of neutral protease. The ratios of neutral protease activity to alkaline protease activity (N/A) were 1.1 in B. subtilis 6160 and 13.0 in B. natto IAM 1212. Enzymological and immunological properties of alkaline protease and neutral protease obtained from the two strains were quite similar or identical, respectively. Specific activities measured by an immunological analysis of the two neutral proteases against casein were also equal. A genetic character of high protease productivity in B. natto IAM 1212 was transferred to B. subtilis 6160 by the deoxyribonucleic acid-mediated transformation. Among 73 transformants that acquired high protease productivity, 69 produced a higher amount of neutral protease and the ratios of N/A were changed to 15 to 60. Three other strains were transformed in the productivity of neutral protease and alpha-amylase simultaneously, and one showed considerable change in the production of alkaline protease and neutral protease. The specific activities (casein hydrolytic activities/enzyme molecules) of neutral proteases from the representative four transformants were equal to those of the two parental strains. These results suggested the presence of a specific gene(s) that participated in the productivity of neutral protease in B. subtilis.     

Evidence for controlled autoproteolysis of alkaline protease. A mechanism for physiological regulation of conidial discharge in Conidiobolus coronatus.

The alkaline serine protease of Conidiobolus coronatus was shown to be involved in its conidial discharge [Phadatare, S., Srinivasan, M. C., Deshpande, M. (1989) Arch. Microbiol. 153, 47-49]. To understand the regulation of conidial discharge, the mechanism of control of protease activity was investigated, which revealed the presence of two electrophoretically separable intracellular proteases (protease I and protease II). The formation of smaller and less-active protease II coincided with the decrease in conidial discharge. In order to trace the origin of protease II, the corresponding purified extracellular enzymes were compared with respect to their biochemical, physiochemical and immunological properties. The biochemical properties, such as optimum pH and temperature, stability, sensitivity to metal ions and substrate specificity were closely similar for both proteases. Amino acid analysis revealed that protease II is completely similar to protease I, though protease I contains an additional portion which is not contained in protease II. Western-blot ELISA, immunotitration and determination of antigenic valencies also revealed the structural similarity between the two proteases. Purified protease I showed partial degradation to protease II in vitro, the process being sensitive to phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, indicating its proteolytic nature. These results suggest that the formation of a less-active protease by autoproteolysis represents a novel means of physiological regulation of protease activity, which in turn regulates the conidial discharge in C. coronatus.     

Purification and characterization of two types of alkaline serine proteases produced by an alkalophilic actinomycete

Two types of alkaline serine proteases were isolated from the culture filtrate of an alkalophilic actinomycete, Nocardiopsis dassonvillei OPC-210. The enzymes (protease I and protease II) were purified by acetone precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex A-50, CM-Sepharose CL-6B, Sephadex G-75 and phenyl-Toyopearl 650 M column chromatography. The purified enzymes showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weights of proteases I and II were 21,000 and 36,000, respectively. The pIs were 6.4 (protease I) and 3.8 (protease II). The optimum pH levels for the activity of two proteases were pH 10-12 (protease I) and pH 10.5 (protease II). The optimum temperture for the activity of protease I was 70 degrees C and that for protease II was 60 degrees C. Protease I was stable in the range of pH 4.0-8.0 up to 60 degrees C and protease II was stable in the range of pH 6.0-12.0 up to 50 degrees C.     

Effects of protease inhibitors and substrates on motility of mammalian spermatozoa

A series of protease inhibitors were tested on the motility of human, rat, bull, and rabbit demembranated reactivated spermatozoa. Some inhibitors, including aprotinin, boc-gln-leu-lys-H, and D-phe-pro-arg- H, could inhibit motility as well as prevent initiation of motility. In general, with the exception of aprotinin, protease inhibitors were more potent in preventing the initiation of movement than in blocking motility of demembranated spermatozoa. Protease substrates could also block sperm motility. Of the substrates tested only those with arg or lys ester bonds were active. The inhibition of motility by protease substrates was reversible, as once spermatozoa hydrolyzed the added exogenous protease substrates, motility reappeared. The importance of ester bond in the inhibitory action of protease substrates was confirmed by experiments that showed the lack of effect of pre- hydrolyzed protease substrates. The results suggest that a serine protease with lys and arg ester bond specificity is involved in the control of sperm motility. The fact that protease substrates also block motility of intact spermatozoa further emphasizes the physiological relevance of this new regulatory system.     

Molecular cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of the extracellular endoprotease of Aeromonas caviae T-64, a pro-aminopeptidase processing enzyme(1).

PA protease (pro-aminopeptidase processing protease) activates the pro-aminopeptidases from Aeromonas caviae T-64 and Vibrio proteolytica by removal of their pro-regions. Cloning and sequencing of the PA protease gene revealed that PA protease was translated as a preproprotein consisting of four domains: a signal peptide; an N-terminal propeptide; a mature region; and a C-terminal propeptide. The deduced amino acid sequence of the PA protease precursor showed significant homology with several bacterial metalloproteases. Expression of the PA protease gene in Escherichia coli indicated that the N-terminal propeptide of the PA protease precursor is essential to obtain the active form of the protease. The N- and C-terminal propeptides of the expressed pro-PA protease were processed autocatalytically.     

Investigation of sequential behavior of carboxyl protease and cysteine protease activities in virus-infected Sf-9 insect cell culture by inhibition assay

Proteases produced during the culture of Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 cells infected with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) were assayed with various protease inhibitors. This inhibitory analysis revealed that: (1) carboxyl and cysteine proteases were predominantly produced by the insect cells infected with recombinant AcNPV, the gene of which encoded a variant of green fluorescent protein in a portion of the polyhedrin gene of the baculovirus, and (2) the protease activity was almost completely blocked by pepstatin A (carboxyl protease inhibitor) and E64 (cysteine protease inhibitor) in an additive manner in the presence of EDTA. Utilizing the additive property of the inhibitors, the inhibition-based protease assay discriminated between the two protease activities and elucidated the sequential behavior of the carboxyl and cysteine proteases produced in the virus-infected Sf-9 cell culture. The carboxyl protease(s) existed in the virus-infected cells all the time and their level in the medium continuously increased. Uninfected cells also contained a carboxyl protease activity, the level of which was similar to that of the virus-infected cells. At a certain time after virus infection, the cysteine protease activity was largely increased in the virus-infected cells and a significant amount of the protease(s) was released into the medium, due to the cell membranes losing their integrity. The behavior of intracellular and extracellular cysteine protease activities coincided with that of a recombinant protein whose expression was under the control of the viral polyhedrin promoter. Similar examinations with wt-AcNPV-infected and uninfected insect cells showed that the inhibition-based protease assay was useful for analyzing the carboxyl protease and cysteine protease activities emerging in the insect cell (Sf-9)/baculovirus expression system.     

Properties of proteolytic enzymes isolated from a thermophilic strain of Micromonospora vulgaris 42.

Two proteolytic enzymes, protease A and protease B, were isolated in homogeneous state from the cultural broth of the thermophilic actinomycete Micromonospora vulgaris 42. Their physicochemical properties were studied, i.e., molecular weight (50 000 for protease A and 30 000 for protease B), amino acid composition, N-terminal amino acids (phenylalanine for protease A and alanine for protease B). The specificity of the action of these enzymes was assayed by splitting the B chain of oxidized insulin. Both enzymes are neutral proteases of the thermolysine type.     

Characterization of senescence-associated proteases in postharvest broccoli florets.

We characterized the senescence-associated proteases of postharvest broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var Green King) florets, using class-specific protease inhibitors and gelatin-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Different classes of senescence-associated proteases in broccoli florets were partially characterized for the first time. Protease activity of broccoli florets was depressed by all the inhibitors and showed different inhibition curves during postharvest. The hydrolytic activity of metalloprotease (EC 3.4.24. - ) and serine protease (EC 3.4.21. - ) reached a maximum, 1 day after harvest (DAH), then decreased, while the hydrolytic activity of cysteine protease (EC 3.4.22. - ) and aspartic protease (EC 3.4.23. - ) increased throughout the postharvest senescence based on the calculated inhibition percentage of protease activity. The senescence-associated proteases were separated into seven endoprotease (EP) groups by gelatin-polyacryamide gel electrophoresis and classified into EP1 (metalloprotease), EP2 (metalloprotease and cysteine protease), EP3 (serine protease and aspartic protease), EP4, EP5, EP7 (cysteine protease), and EP6 (serine protease) based on the sensitivity of class-specific protease inhibitors. The proteases EP2, EP3, and EP4 were present throughout the postharvest stages. EP3 was the major EP at all times during senescence; EP4 intensity of activity increased after 2 DAH; EP6 and EP7 clearly increased after 4 DAH. Our results suggest that serine protease activity contributes to early stage (0-1 DAH) and late stage (4-5 DAH) of senescence; metalloprotease activity was involved in the early and intermediate stages (0-3 DAH) of senescence; and cysteine protease and aspartic protease activities participated in the whole process of broccoli senescence.     

Hydrolysis of solubilized fibroin and silk proteins in the midgut of the pharate adult of Bombyx mori

Midgut protease in the pharate adult hydrolysed native silk proteins and solubilized fibroin by ethylenediamine cupric hydroxide or lithium bromide. By agar gel electrophoresis one to three protease bands moving toward the anode were detected, and the number of bands and the electrophoretic mobility were different among the various strains. Optimal activity of the enzyme was at about pH 8·3. The protease activity was found to decrease in higher concentrations of the substrates. One peak of protease activity was seen in Sepharose 6B chromatography, and the elution pattern and peak position of the enzyme were very similar to those of protease activity with casein. In DEAE-cellulose chromatography, the peak of activity for casein overlapped but did not coincide with a broad peak of protease hydrolysing native silk proteins. The results obtained support the assumption that the midgut protease in the pharate adult is one of the sources of the cocoon-digesting enzyme.     

Activity in monomers of human cytomegalovirus protease.

Herpesvirus proteases require dimerization for activity, although crystallographic data indicate that each monomeric subunit possesses a well-separated and complete active site. This suggests that dimerization stabilizes the monomeric protease subunits in an active conformation. Chemical cross-linking with disuccinimidyl glutarate was used to capture human cytomegalovirus protease in its various conformations. The cross-linked protease retained activity under mildly chaotropic conditions (0.25 to 0.75 M urea) in contrast to non-cross-linked protease which lost activity. Identification of active protease species by incorporation of radioactive diisopropylfluorophosphate showed that in addition to cross-linked dimers, cross-linked protease monomers were responsible for a significant fraction of the total protease activity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that herpesvirus protease activation occurs by stabilization of an active conformer in the dimer.     

Purification of Bacteroides amylophilus protease

A protease was released by Bacteroides amylophilus cells in late stationary phase, approximately 12 hr after maximum cell density was reached. The protease was concentrated by adsorption on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-Sephadex and was purified 532-fold by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, by G-200-Sephadex gel filtration, and by isoelectric focusing. The purified protease was active between pH 4.5 and 12.0 with optima at pH 6.0 and 11.5. Evidence against there being a single protease was given by the differential inhibition of esterase and protease activities by some inhibitors. There was some evidence that only a single protease was present as the ratio of protease activity at various pH values did not alter significantly during purification or when the purified protease was partially heat-inactivated or treated with two specific trypsin-type protease inhibitors: N-alpha-tosyl-l-lysylchloromethyl ketone or phenylmethane-sulfonyl fluoride. Two forms of the same protease were found by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Gel filtration confirmed the presence of protease in 30,000 and 60,000 molecular-weight forms. Treatment with 1 mm ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or with 4 m urea failed to convert the 60,000-molecular-weight to the 30,000-molecular-weight species.     

绿木霉Gv29-8丝氨酸蛋白酶S8/S53超家族基因特性及功能

【背景】丝氨酸蛋白酶在木霉菌生物防治过程中发挥重要作用。【目的】研究绿木霉丝氨酸蛋白酶S8/S53超家族基因信息及其生物学功能,进而为该蛋白酶生防制剂的开发及基因改造提供理论支持。【方法】通过生物信息学分析方法,从绿木霉Gv29-8基因组中鉴定出23个丝氨酸蛋白酶基因,以少孢节丛孢菌ATCC 24927基因组中鉴定的4个丝氨酸蛋白酶基因作为对照,对这27个丝氨酸蛋白酶基因的特性、蛋白结构、进化地位、功能等进行预测分析。【结果】27个基因结构差异较大,编码的蛋白具有典型的丝氨酸蛋白酶催化三联体结构,属于S8/S53超家族,分为6个亚家族,同一亚家族的蛋白酶保守区长度相近,相似性较高,催化残基附近序列比较保守。系统进化分析显示,同一亚家族丝氨酸蛋白酶聚为一类。【结论】绿木霉和少孢节丛孢菌的部分丝氨酸蛋白酶基因在结构和蛋白性质上相似性强,亲缘关系较近,均属于S8_PCSK9_ProteinaseK_like亚家族,推测绿木霉与少孢节丛孢菌该亚家族的丝氨酸蛋白酶具有相似的功能,可抑制植物病原真菌和降解线虫体壁。     

Partial Purification of Mucor pusillus Intracellular Proteases

The intracellular protease extracted from the freeze-dried mycelia obtained after the growth of Mucor pusillus at 30°C in corn steep liquor medium was chromatographed on DEAE-A50. Some characteristics of the protease fractions obtained after ion-exchange chromatography were determined and compared with those of the extracellular proteases reported previously. The mycelia were found to contain two acid proteases and an alkaline protease. The ratio of milk clotting to protease activity of one acid protease was greater than that of the other. The electrophoretic pattern of the alkaline protease fraction suggested that it was not a single species, but a mixture of proteolytic enzymes.     

Characterization of a membrane-associated serine protease in Escherichia coli.

Three membrane-associated proteolytic activities in Escherichia coli were resolved by DEAE-cellulose chromatography from detergent extracts of the total envelope fraction. On the basis of substrate specificity for the hydrolysis of chromogenic amino acid ester substrates, the first two eluting activities were determined previously to be protease V and protease IV, respectively (M. Pacaud, J. Bacteriol. 149:6-14, 1982). The third proteolytic activity eluting from the DEAE-cellulose column was further purified by affinity chromatography on benzamidine-Sepharose 6B. We termed this enzyme protease VI. Protease VI did not hydrolyze any of the chromogenic substrates used in the detection of protease IV and protease V. However, all three enzymes generated acid-soluble fragments from a mixture of E. coli membrane proteins which were biosynthetically labeled with radioactive amino acids. The activity of protease VI was sensitive to serine protease inhibitors. Using [3H]diisopropylfluorophosphate as an active-site labeling reagent, we determined that protease VI has an apparent molecular weight of 43,000 in polyacrylamide gels. All three membrane-associated serine proteases were insensitive to inhibition by Ecotin, and endogenous, periplasmic inhibitor of trypsin.     

羊毛防毡缩用蛋白酶的化学修饰

为减少防毡缩整理中蛋白酶对羊毛纤维主体结构的破坏作用,分别研究了戊二醛、微生物谷氨酰胺转氨酶(MTG)和水溶性碳二亚胺(EDC)对蛋白酶Savinase 16L的化学修饰,以期达到增大蛋白酶分子量,从而将水解作用限制在纤维表面的目的。主要通过体积排阻色谱、SDS-PAGE谱图以及荧光光谱研究修饰酶的分子量和结构变化。结果表明,戊二醛不能对蛋白酶分子进行有效修饰;MTG会被蛋白酶水解,无法催化酶分子间发生共价交联;而碳二亚胺既可以使蛋白酶分子间发生交联,又能将含有伯胺基的大分子修饰剂偶联到酶分子上。     

溶剂稳定性蛋白酶产生菌Bacillus licheniformis YP1的发酵优化

溶剂稳定性蛋白酶产生菌Bacillus licheniformis YP1分离自油田土样。考察了碳源、氮源、金属离子等营养因素对YP1菌株发酵产溶剂稳定性蛋白酶的影响。YP1菌株发酵产胞外蛋白酶的最佳碳源为淀粉,果糖、甘露糖和乳糖显著抑制产酶;最佳氮源为酵母膏,干酪素、酵母粉和牛肉膏促进产酶,玉米浆和尿素显著抑制产酶。Mn^2＋可以显著促进酶活,Mg^2＋可以促进产酶,在初步优化的培养条件下,YP1菌株的胞外蛋白酶产量达980U。     

Investigation of protease-mediated cuticle-degradation of nematodes by using an improved immunofluorescence-localization method

In order to facilitate the understanding of the actual process of enzyme-based degradation of nematodes, we visualized the localization of BLG4, a cuticle-degrading protease from the nematophagous bacterium Brevibacillus laterosporus G4, on nematode cuticle by using an improved immuno-labeled fluorescent method. Live nematodes, heat-killed nematodes and extracted nematode cuticles were exposed to the protease, and the localization of the protease and the resulting tissue degradation and destruction were observed microscopically. The bioassay findings showed that live nematodes were significantly more resistant to the protease than the dead nematodes and the extracted cuticles were. The observation of the immuno-labeling fluorescence for BLG4 revealed that the protease localized first in the tail region of the live target; and then spread over the entire target and ultimately destroyed it, including the cuticle. The results indicated the resistance of nematode cuticles to enzymatic attacks and the differences in protease susceptibilities at different regions on the nematode cuticles.     

Structural gene for the alkaline extracellular protease of Saccharomycopsis lipolytica.

Mutants for Saccharomycopsis lipolytica temperature sensitive for alkaline extracellular protease production, but not for growth, were isolated. Thirty-three isolates were temperature sensitive for protease production, and one (xpr-32) produced a temperature-sensitive protease. Genetic analysis indicated that xpr-32 was located in gene XPR2, and allele xpr2-7 was found to also produce a temperature-sensitive protease. None of five independently isolated xpr2 mutations affects the production of extracellular ribonucleases and acid protease(s). Diploids with zero, one, or two active alleles of the XPR2 locus were constructed, and the XPR2 locus was shown to exhibit a gene dosage effect on alkaline extracellular protease synthesis (enzyme activity/cell protein). These results suggest that the XPR2 gene is the structural gene for the alkaline extracellular protease of S. lipolytica.     

A facile analytical method for the identification of protease gene profiles from Bacillus thuringiensis strains

Five pairs of degenerate universal primers have been designed to identify the general protease gene profiles from some distinct Bacillus thuringiensis strains. Based on the PCR amplification patterns and DNA sequences of the cloned fragments, it was noted that the protease gene profiles of the three distinct strains of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD73, tenebrionis and israelensis T14001 are varied. Seven protease genes, neutral protease B (nprB), intracellular serine protease A (ispA), extracellular serine protease (vpr), envelope-associated protease (prtH), neutral protease F (nprF), thermostable alkaline serine protease and alkaline serine protease (aprS), with known functions were identified from three distinct B. thuringiensis strains. In addition, five DNA sequences with unknown functions were also identified by this facile analytical method. However, based on the alignment of the derived protein sequences with the protein domain database, it suggested that at least one of these unknown genes, yunA, might be highly protease-related. Thus, the proposed PCR-mediated amplification design could be a facile method for identifying the protease gene profiles as well as for detecting novel protease genes of the B. thuringiensis strains.     

Purification and characterization of two types of alkaline serine proteases produced by an alkalophilic actinomycete

T sujibo , H., M iyamoto , K., H asegawa , T. & I namori , Y. 1990. Purification and characterization of two types of alkaline serine proteases produced by an alkalophilic actinomycete. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 69 , 520–529.
Two types of alkaline serine proteases were isolated from the culture filtrate of an alkalophilic actinomycete, Nocardiopsis dassonvillei OPC-210. The enzymes (protease I and protease II) were purified by acetone precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex A-50, CM-Sepharose CL-6B, Sephadex G-75 and phenyl-Toyopearl 650 M column chromatography. The purified enzymes showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weights of proteases I and II were 21000 and 36000, respectively. The pIs were 6.4 (protease I) and 3.8 (protease II). The optimum pH levels for the activity of two proteases were pH 10–12 (protease I) and pH 10.5 (protease II). The optimum temperature for the activity of protease I was 70°C and that for protease II was 60°C. Protease I was stable in the range of pH 4.0–8.0 up to 60°C and protease II was stable in the range of pH 6.0–12.0 up to 50°C.