Regulation of a Sulfur-Controlled Protease in Neurospora crassa

Wild-type Neurospora crassa produces and secretes extracellular protease(s) when grown on a medium containing a protein as its principle sulfur source. Readily available sulfur sources, such as sulfate or methionine, repress the synthesis of the proteolytic activity. Preliminary characterization of the proteolytic enzyme shows it to have a molecular weight of about 31,000, a pH optimum of 6 to 9 with casein as substrate, and esterolytic activity against acetyl-tyrosine ethyl ester with a pH optimum of 8.5. The enzyme activity is completely inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate, partially inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate, but unaffected by iodoacetate. The proteolytic activity is temperature labile and is reduced by 75% within 15 min at 60 C. Synthesis of the protease activity is induced by proteins, and to a lesser extent by large-molecular-weight polyamino acids, but not at all by small peptides or amino acid mixtures. During conidial out-growth, the protease(s) first appears at about 8 h and continues to increase while the cells are in an active growth phase. When a low concentration of sulfate is present, the protease(s) is not produced until about 18 h, suggesting that the sulfate must first be used by the cells before the protease is either synthesized or released.     

A protease with staphylolytic activity from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAKS I

The supernatant from broth cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAKS I contains two different enzymes with staphylolytic activity. One of them, namely staphylolytic enzyme, seems to be specific for glycine-rich cross-links present in the cell wall of different Gram-positive bacteria and has been previously characterized. In addition to the staphylolytic activity, the second protein which we propose to be a staphylolytic protease, has proteolytic activity against casein. This enzyme is approximately 33 kDa, has an isoelectric point ranging from 7.3 to 8.1 and an optimum pH value of 8.0 for casein hydrolysis. Staphylolytic protease was detected in the extracellular medium after 12 h of cell growth. Immunocytochemical studies suggest that the protease is located within the periplasmic space of P. aeruginosa.     

Human immunodeficiency virus protease. Bacterial expression and characterization of the purified aspartic protease

The protease of human immunodeficiency virus has been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to apparent homogeneity. Immunoreactivity toward anti-protease peptide sera copurified with an activity that cleaved the structural polyprotein gag p55 and the peptide corresponding to the sequence gag 128-135. The enzyme expressed as a nonfusion protein exhibits proteolytic activity with a pH optimum of 5.5 and is inhibited by the aspartic protease inhibitor pepstatin with a Ki of 1.1 microM. Replacement of the conserved residue Asp-25 with an Asn residue eliminates proteolytic activity. Analysis of the minimal peptide substrate size indicates that 7 amino acids are required for efficient peptide cleavage. Size exclusion chromatography is consistent with a dimeric enzyme and circular dichroism spectra of the purified enzyme are consistent with a proposed structure of the protease (Pearl, L.H., and Taylor, W.R. (1987) Nature 329, 351-354). These data support the classification of the human immunodeficiency virus protease as an aspartic protease, likely to be structurally homologous with the well characterized family that includes pepsin and renin.     

Fungal Proteolytic Enzymes

Two kinds of proteolytic enzyme, tentatively named acid protease A and B which showed a single peak on electrophoresis individually, were isolated from the crude enzyme powder obtained from the broth filtrate cultured with Asper gillus niger var. macrosporus. Acid protease B is similar too the fungal acid protease previously reported, bccause the enzyme exhibits optimum activity on milk casein at about pH 2.6 and 55°C when the incubation was done at pH 2.6. Acid protease A is a new proteolytic enzyme, because the enzyme exhibits optimum activity on milk casein at about 2.0 and 70°C or 60°C when the incubation was done at pH 2.6 or 1.5 respectively.     

Purification and characterization of a milk clotting protease from Rhizomucor miehei

Benzamidine, an inhibitor of serine proteases, was used as an affinity ligand for the purification of aspartyl protease from culture filtrate of Rhizomucor miehei. The two step purification protocol (ion-exchange and affinity chromatography) resulted in a homogenous enzyme preparation with seven-fold purification and a final recovery of 22%. The purified enzyme was free of brown pigmentation, a factor inherently associated with the enzyme; it was stable and active at acidic pH (optimum pH 4.1 for proteolytic activity and 5.6 for milk clotting activity). The significant positive characteristic of the enzyme is its comparatively lower thermostability; the enzyme was comparable to calf rennet in its properties of thermostability, milk-clotting to proteolytic activity ratio and sensitivity to CaCl2. Limited protease digestion of the purified enzyme with proteinase K yielded a 20kDa fragment as shown by SDS–PAGE. Native gel electrophoresis of the digest showed an additional peak of activity corresponding to the 20kDa fragment on SDS–PAGE, this fragment retained both milk-clotting and proteolytic activities. It was also inhibited by pepstatin A and hence it is presumed that this fragment contained the active site of the enzyme.     

Characterization and isolation of a trypsin-like serine protease from a long-term culture cytolytic T cell line and its expression by functionally distinct T cells

We describe the characterization and purification of a trypsin-like serine protease isolated from cloned long-term culture cytolytic T cell line (CTLL AK). High amounts of proteolytic activity were isolated from extracts of CTLL AK after either nitrogen cavitation or detergent lysis. Trypsin-like protease was detected by using either the ester compound N alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine thiobenzyl ester or a panel of low molecular amide substrates. The latter compounds were preferentially cleaved at the carboxyl termini of lysine and arginine residues. The enzyme activity was completely inhibited by two serine esterase inhibitors, diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, and by aprotinin and meta-aminobenzamidine, which are known to block trypsin-like proteases. The pH optimum for CTLL AK-derived protease activity is 8 to 9. Analysis of the enzyme by gel filtration revealed that the cell-bound proteolytic activity was associated with a complex that could not be dissociated by treatment with Triton X-100. The CTLL AK-derived protease activity was found to reside in two proteins with relative molecular masses (Mr) of 32,000 and 40,000 daltons as determined by affinity labeling with [3H]diisopropylfluorophosphate and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. High levels of enzyme activity were found in a panel of H-Y-specific cloned T cell lines with either cytolytic/suppressor (CTLL) or helper potential (THL), indicating a lack of correlation between trypsin-like protease activity and a particular T cell function. High enzyme activity was also detected in tumorigenic variants of CTLL. Furthermore, it was excluded that the trypsin-like activity detected was attributable to plasminogen activator activity. In contrast to cloned T effector cells and their in vitro or in vivo derived variants, considerably less activity was found in normal nonactivated or activated lymphocyte populations. The possible role of the trypsin-like serine protease in the function of T effector cells is discussed.     

Molecular characterization and growth optimization of halo-tolerant protease producing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus Subtilis</Emphasis> Strain BLK-1.5 isolated from salt mines of Karak,Pakistan

Microbial proteolytic enzyme is one of the most important industrial enzymes that hydrolyze proteins. The applications of proteases under harsh industrial conditions like alkalinity, salinity, and temperature make them inactive and unstable. This suggests need for search for novel microbial sources for protease production having diverse properties. For this purpose, 54 bacterial strains were isolated from different salt mines of Karak, Pakistan and were investigated for their proteolytic activity on skim milk agar plates. The strain which showed maximum protease activity was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Furthermore, growth and protease production was optimized for the characterized bacteria under different physical factors, i.e., pH, temperature and salinity. The isolate BLK-1.5 exhibited strong protease production and was identified as Bacillus subtilis based on biochemical characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Maximum production of protease was recorded at pH 10, 37 °C and 7 % (w/v) NaCl. Molecular weight of proteases was estimated 38 kDa and its optimum activity was observed at pH 10, 50 °C and 2 % (w/v) NaCl. In conclusion, the protease produced by halo-tolerant Bacillus subtilis strain BLK-1.5 has diverse characteristics and could be useful in various industrial applications.     

Production and properties of an alkaline protease by Aureobasidium pullulans

A strain of the yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium pullulans was grown on whey to produce an extracellular protease. The protease was totally inhibited by the serine inhibitor, phenyl methyl sulphonyl fluoride (PMSF), and partially inhibited by the chelating agent EDTA. The enzyme showed maximal activity in the alkaline range with an optimum pH of 9·5–10·5. The optimum temperature for protease activity was 41C. As well as being active against the non-specific proteolytic substrate Azocoll, the protease readily degraded purified α-casein. A molecular weight of 27000 ± 350 was determined for the protease using gel filtration chromatography.     

Extracellular acid and alkaline proteases from Candida olea

Candida olea 148 secreted a single acid protease when cultured at acidic pH. In unbuffered medium, the culture pH eventually became alkaline and a single alkaline protease was produced. This was the only proteolytic enzyme produced when the organism was grown in buffered medium at alkaline pH. Both proteolytic enzymes were purified to homogeneity (as assessed by SDS-PAGE). The Mr of the acid protease was 30900, the isoelectric point 4.5; optimum activity against haemoglobin was at 42 degrees C and pH 3.3. This enzyme was inactivated at temperatures above 46 degrees C and was inhibited by either pepstatin and diazoacetyl-norleucine methyl ester but was insensitive to inhibition by either 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)-propane or compounds known to inhibit serine, thiol or metallo proteases. The acid protease contained 11% carbohydrate. The alkaline protease had an Mr of 23400 and isoelectric point of 5.4. The activity of this enzyme using azocoll as substrate above 42 degrees C and was inhibited by phenylmethyl-sulphonyl fluoride and irreversible inactivated by EDTA. The enzyme was also partially inhibited by DTT but was insensitive to either pepstatin or p-chloromercuribenzoic acid.     

Degradation of an Fc‐fusion recombinant protein by host cell proteases: Identification of a CHO cathepsin D protease

A host‐cell‐related proteolytic activity was identified in a recombinant Fc‐fusion protein production process. This report describes the strategy applied to characterize and isolate the enzyme responsible for this degradation by combining cell culture investigation and dedicated analytical tools. After isolation and sequencing of the clipped fragment generated in post‐capture material, enzymatic activity was traced in different culture conditions, allowing identification of viable CHO cells as the source of protease. Inhibitors and pH screenings showed that the enzyme belongs to an aspartic protease family and is preferably active at acidic pH. The protease was isolated by purification on a pepstatin A column and characterized as a protein related to cathepsin D. An additional metallo‐protease inhibited by EDTA was identified with an optimum activity at neutral pH. This study is an example of how quality and stability of therapeutic recombinant molecules are strongly influenced by cell culture parameters. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 1132–1141. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Limited proteolysis of E. coli ATP-dependent protease Lon - a unified view of the subunit architecture and characterization of isolated enzyme fragments

We carried out chymotryptic digestion of multimeric ATP-dependent Lon protease from Escherichia coli. Four regions sensitive to proteolytic digestion were located in the enzyme and several fragments corresponding to the individual structural domains of the enzyme or their combinations were isolated. It was shown that (i) unlike the known AAA(+) proteins, the ATPase fragment (A) of Lon has no ATPase activity in spite of its ability to bind nucleotides, and it is monomeric in solution regardless of the presence of any effectors; (ii) the monomeric proteolytic domain (P) does not display proteolytic activity; (iii) in contrast to the inactive counterparts, the AP fragment is an oligomer and exhibits both the ATPase and proteolytic activities. However, unlike the full-length Lon, its AP fragment oligomerizes into a dimer or a tetramer only, exhibits the properties of a non-processive protease, and undergoes self-degradation upon ATP hydrolysis. These results reveal the crucial role played by the non-catalytic N fragment of Lon (including its coiled-coil region), as well as the contribution of individual domains to creation of the quaternary structure of the full-length enzyme, empowering its function as a processive protease.     

Procollagen processing. Limited proteolysis of COOH-terminal extension peptides by a cathepsin-like protease secreted by tendon fibroblasts.

An enzymatic activity, capable of removing the COOH-terminal extensions of type I chick procollagen, has been demonstrated in embryonic chick tendons and in cultured tendon fibroblasts utilizing two new methods of analysis. The protease was purified by a combination of ultrafiltration concanavalin A affinity chromatography and gel filtration. The isolated protein has an apparent Mr of 43,000 by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. The enzyme shows a major pH optimum at 4.2 and is susceptible to inhibitors such as pepstatin and leupeptin; it therefore seems related to the cathepsins. The possibility that this enzyme plays a role in the limited proteolytic processing of procollagen is discussed.     

Production,partial characterization,and immobilization in alginate beads of an alkaline protease from a new thermophilic fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myceliophthora</Emphasis> sp.

Thermophilic fungi produce thermostable enzymes which have a number of applications, mainly in biotechnological processes. In this work, we describe the characterization of a protease produced in solidstate (SSF) and submerged (SmF) fermentations by a newly isolated thermophilic fungus identified as a putative new species in the genus Myceliophthora. Enzyme-production rate was evaluated for both fermentation processes, and in SSF, using a medium composed of a mixture of wheat bran and casein, the proteolytic output was 4.5-fold larger than that obtained in SmF. Additionally, the peak of proteolytic activity was obtained after 3 days for SSF whereas for SmF it was after 4 days. The crude enzyme obtained by both SSF and SmF displayed similar optimum temperature at 50°C, but the optimum pH shifted from 7 (SmF) to 9(SSF). The alkaline protease produced through solid-state fermentation (SSF), was immobilized on beads of calcium alginate, allowing comparative analyses of free and immobilized proteases to be carried out. It was observed that both optimum temperature and thermal stability of the immobilized enzyme were higher than for the free enzyme. Moreover, the immobilized enzyme showed considerable stability for up to 7 reuses.     

Analysis of recombinant protein toxicity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> through a phage λ-based genetic screening system

The aspartic protease from the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is highly toxic to E. coli, thus impairing its yield in production processes. Proteolytic cleavage of essential cellular proteins is probably a major contributor to the bacteriocidal effect but this has not been proven. Through an adapted high-throughput λ-based screening system, we have analyzed a set of HIV-1 protease mutants with distinguishable catalytic properties and we show that inactive enzymes are as toxic to E. coli cells as the wild-type enzyme. Together with additional data from directed molecular evolution approaches, these results indicate that the toxicity of the viral protease is not linked to its proteolytic activity. Our study also reveals that the λ-based screening system is a robust new tool for the genetic analysis of highly toxic recombinant products in E. coli.     

A fibrinolytic metalloprotease from the fruiting bodies of an edible mushroom, Armillariella mellea

A fibrinolytic metalloprotease has been purified from the fruiting bodies of the edible honey mushroom (Armillariella mellea). The enzyme has a molecular weight of 18538.1508, as measured by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and includes Zn2+ ion as found by ICP/MS. The N-terminal amino acid sequence, XXYNGXTXSRQTTLV, do not match any known protein or open reading frame. It hydrolyzes fibrinogen as well as fibrin, but does not show any proteolytic activity for other blood proteins such as thrombin, human albumin, bovine albumin, human IgG, hemoglobin, or urokinase. This protease hydrolyzes both A alpha and B beta subunits of human fibrinogen with equal efficiency. The enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline, indicating that the enzyme is a metalloprotease. No inhibition was found with PMSF, E-64, pepstatin, and 2-mercaptoethanol. The activity of the purified enzyme was slightly increased by Mg2+, Zn2+, and Co2+, but the enzyme was totally inhibited by Hg2+. It has broad substrate specificity for synthetic peptides, and a pH optimum at 7, suggested that the purified enzyme was a neutral protease. It was thermally stable up to 60 degrees C and the maximum fibrinolytic activity was at 55 degrees C.     

Protease activity in cells ofBacillus megaterium during derepression

A proteolytic activity hydrolyzing denatured proteins of Bacillus megaterium labelled with 35S or 14C amino acids was detected in cells of the asporogenic strain of Bacillus megaterium. The substrate is hydrolyzed by the enzyme or enzymes at optimum pH around 7, their activity being almost completely inhibited by EDTA and o-phenanthroline. PMSF, the inhibitor of serine proteases, is slightly inhibitory. Gel filtration on a Sephadex column separated the protease activity to two or three fractions. The protease activity in cells with the repressed synthesis of protease corresponds to 5-20 mug of substrate degraded per hour by 1 mg of protein at 37 degrees C. It increases five to ten-fold during the derepression. When the intracellular protease activity increases the extracellular enzyme begins to be excreted into the medium. The intracellular protease activity rapidly decreases after the addition of chloramphenicol or of a mixture of amino acids to the derepressed culture. Half or even more of the protease activity is released from the cells during their conversion to protoplasts by means of lysozyme. This "periplasmic" activity remains mostly in the supernatant also after mesosomes have been centrifuged down from the periplasm. A portion of the activity bound in protoplasts sediments together with membrane fraction after their lysis.     

A rapid method for purification of homogenous Legionella pneumophila cytotoxic protease using fast protein liquid chromatography

A purification method was developed to isolate Legionella pneumophila cytotoxic protease in a form suitable for biological assays. Culture supernatant of a clinical isolate of L. pneumophila, Knoxville 1 strain, was used as the starting material. The protease was purified by FPLC on a Mono Q column followed by ultrafiltration. The isolated proteolytic enzyme has a specific activity of 90 azocasein units/mg protein and is a 42 kDa monomeric protein as determined by SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography. It is heat-labile and toxic to a variety of cells e.g. McCoy, SIRC, HeLa, and rhabdomyosarcoma cells, baby hamster and green monkey kidney cells, and human embryonic lung fibroblasts.     

The proteolytic degradation in vitro of the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

A cell-free membrane system has been developed from isolated barley etioplasts which displays a highly selective decrease of the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase in vitro which is indistinguishable from that observed previously in the intact plant. The rapid breakdown of the enzyme protein in vitro is caused by a membrane-bound proteolytic activity. The protease is essentially independent of pH in the physiological pH range of 6 to 8.5. The optimum temperature for the reaction is approximately 40 degrees C. In the presence of excessive protochlorophyllide the enzyme is no longer degraded or inactivated during illumination of dark-grown plants. In the isolated membrane fraction protochlorophyllide also enhances the stability of the enzyme, a similar effect is exerted by NADPH but not by NADH. The results suggest that the inactivation of the NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase is influenced by the interaction of the enzyme with protochlorophyllide and NADPH. In the absence of these two components the enzyme becomes susceptible to proteolytic degradation.     

Determination of protease activity of plant roots

The colorimetric method described by Charney and Tomarelli (1974) for the assay of the proteolytic activity in the duodenal juice was adapted to measuring protease activity of roots. Diazotized casein served as substrate and the amount of degraded azocasein was measured colorimetrically. A linear relationship between the incubation time or concentration of the enzyme (roots) and the amount of the hydrolyzed substrate was found. The rate increase of the enzyme reaction was proportional to enzyme concentration up to 1 g roots and incubation time of 3 h, and up to 0.5 g of roots and incubation time of 4 h. The optimum of the protease activity was at pH 8.2–8.6.