Bleomycin hydrolase: molecular cloning, sequencing, and biochemical studies reveal membership in the cysteine proteinase family

Bleomycin (BLM) hydrolase catalyzes the inactivation of the antitumor drug BLM and is believed to protect normal and malignant cells from BLM toxicity. The normal physiological function of BLM hydrolase is not known. We now provide evidence for its membership in the cysteine proteinase family. BLM hydrolase was purified to homogeneity from rabbit lungs, and a partial amino acid sequence was determined from a tryptic digest peptide. On the basis of this sequence a 36-mer oligonucleotide was synthesized. The 36-mer oligonucleotide probe hybridized to a single mRNA species of 2.5 kb from several species and was used to isolate an 832-bp cDNA insert from a lambda gt11 rabbit liver cDNA library. This insert encoded the tryptic digest peptide previously identified in rabbit lung BLM hydrolase by amino acid sequencing. Analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence coded by the 832-bp BLM hydrolase cDNA fragment indicated no significant homology with any currently known proteins except for a 15 amino acid portion, which displayed remarkable homology with the active site of cysteine proteinases. Within this active-site region, 10 of the amino acid residues of papain and 9 of aleurain, cathepsin H, and cathepsin L were identical with those of rabbit liver BLM hydrolase. The catalytic cysteine of thiol proteinases was also conserved in BLM hydrolase, and cysteine proteinase specific inhibitors, such as E-64, were found to be potent inhibitors of BLM hydrolase activity. Furthermore, bleomycin hydrolase exhibited cathepsin H like enzymatic activity. Bleomycin hydrolase had, however, no significant cathepsin B or L activities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Sequence analysis, tissue distribution, and expression of rat cathepsin S.

Cysteine proteases are involved in many diverse cellular processes ranging from processing of precursor proteins to intracellular degradation. In an effort to identify novel cysteine proteases, we used the polymerase chain reaction and primers directed against the catalytic sites of previously cloned cysteine proteases. From rat brain mRNA, a 600-base pair band was amplified; cloning and partial sequence analysis of this band resulted in the identification of cathepsins B and L and five novel sequences. The novel cDNAs contained a number of residues conserved in lysosomal cysteine proteases, including the active site residue His159 (papain numbering). In addition, the amino acid homology between the novel sequences and either cathepsins B, L, or H, ranged from 63 to 32%. The insert with highest homology was used to screen a rat brain cDNA library; a 1334-base pair cDNA was isolated and the nucleotide sequence determined. This sequence encodes an open reading frame of 330 amino acids which is 82% homologous to human cathepsin S, suggesting that this sequence represents rat cathepsin S. Northern blot analysis for rat cathepsin S revealed tissue-specific expression distinct from the distribution of cathepsin B and L. The regulation of expression of rat cathepsin S mRNA in response to thyroid-stimulating hormone was studied in a rat thyroid cell line FRTL-5. The level of cathepsin S mRNA was substantially increased in response to thyroid-stimulating hormone, whereas cathepsin B and cathepsin L mRNA levels were not altered by this treatment. A portion of cDNA encoding the predicted mature protein of rat cathepsin S was expressed as a glutathione S-transferase-fusion protein. The affinity-purified protein exhibited proteolytic activity with properties similar to bovine cathepsin S. Taken together, these results imply highly specific functions for cathepsin S.     

Cathepsin L participates in the production of neuropeptide Y in secretory vesicles, demonstrated by protease gene knockout and expression

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) functions as a peptide neurotransmitter and as a neuroendocrine hormone. The active NPY peptide is generated in secretory vesicles by proteolytic processing of proNPY. Novel findings from this study show that cathepsin L participates as a key proteolytic enzyme for NPY production in secretory vesicles. Notably, NPY levels in cathepsin L knockout (KO) mice were substantially reduced in brain and adrenal medulla by 80% and 90%, respectively. Participation of cathepsin L in producing NPY predicts their colocalization in secretory vesicles, a primary site of NPY production. Indeed, cathepsin L was colocalized with NPY in brain cortical neurons and in chromaffin cells of adrenal medulla, demonstrated by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed the localization of cathepsin L with NPY in regulated secretory vesicles of chromaffin cells. Functional studies showed that coexpression of proNPY with cathepsin L in neuroendocrine PC12 cells resulted in increased production of NPY. Furthermore , in vitro processing indicated cathepsin L processing of proNPY at paired basic residues. These findings demonstrate a role for cathepsin L in the production of NPY from its proNPY precursor. These studies illustrate the novel biological role of cathepsin L in the production of NPY, a peptide neurotransmitter, and neuroendocrine hormone.     

The primary structure and tissue distribution of cathepsin C.

A cDNA for rat cathepsin C (dipeptidylaminopeptidase I) was isolated. The encoded protein is composed of the signal peptide of 28 residues, the propeptide of 201 residues and the mature enzyme region of 233 residues. The amino acid sequence of the mature enzyme region has 39.5 to 30.5% identity to other papain family proteinases. Cathepsin C is, therefore, belongs to papain family, although its propeptide region is much longer than those of other cysteine proteinases and show no significant sequence similarity to any other cysteine proteinase. The mRNA and protein for cathepsin C are broadly distributed in rat tissues, but the relative proportions of cathepsin C and other cysteine proteinases are found to vary from tissue to tissue.     

Biosynthesis of a lysosomal enzyme. Partial structure of two transient and functionally distinct NH2-terminal sequences in cathepsin D

Various biosynthetic forms of porcine spleen cathepsin D (Erickson, A. H. and Blobel, G. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 11771-11774), isolated by immunoprecipitation of in vivo- and in vitro-synthesized products, have been characterized by partial NH2-terminal sequence analysis. Two short lived and functionally distinct NH2-terminal sequence extensions, a "pre" sequence and a "pro" sequence, have been detected. Both sequence extensions are present in preprocathepsin D which is the primary translation product immunoprecipitated after translation of porcine spleen mRNA in a wheat germ cell-free system. Preprocathepsin D is not glycosylated and has an approximate Mr = 43,000. Its 20-residue pre sequence resembles the signal sequences of presecretory proteins in abundance of Leu residues (7 out of 20 residues). Addition of dog pancreatic microsomal vesicles to the translation system resulted in the cleavage of the pre sequence and yielded segregated and glycosylated procathepsin D (Mr = 46,000) that was indistinguishable from its in vivo-synthesized counterpart detected after pulse-labeling of cultured porcine kidney cells. Some of this in vivo-synthesized procathepsin D was secreted and persisted as such in the culture medium. The remainder was converted within a period of 15 min to 2 h to single chain cathepsin D (Mr = 44,000) by removal of a pro sequence which was estimated to be 44 residues. Its partial sequence showed considerable sequence homology to the 44-residue activation peptide of pepsinogen. It is possible, therefore, that the prosequence of procathepsin D serves as an activation peptide that keeps the enzyme inactive during intracellular transport to the lysosome. The enzymatically active single chain form of cathepsin D undergoes further cleavage into a light and a heavy chain (Mr = 15,000 and 30,000, respectively) over a period of 2-24 h after synthesis. The oligosaccharide moieties of procathepsin D and of the single chain and heavy chain forms of cathepsin D are cleaved by endoglycosidase H. Treatment of cells with tunicamycin arrests the biosynthetic pathway of cathepsin D at procathepsin D. The nonglycosylated procathepsin D is not proteolytically processed and its secretion is greatly inhibited.     

Structures at the proteolytic processing region of cathepsin D

The amino acid sequences at the "proteolytic processing regions" of cathepsin Ds have been determined for the enzymes from cows, pigs, and rats in order to deduce the sites of cleavage as well as the function of the proteolytic processing of cathepsin D. For bovine cathepsin D, the "processing region" sequence was determined from a peptide isolated from the single-chain enzyme. The COOH-terminal sequence of the light chain and the NH2-terminal sequence of the heavy chain were also determined. The processing region sequence of porcine cathepsin D was determined from its cDNA structure, and the same structure from rat cathepsin D was determined from the peptide sequence of the single-chain rat enzyme. From sequence homology to other aspartic proteases whose x-ray crystallographic structures are known, such as pepsinogen and penicillopepsin, it is clear that the processing regions are insertions to form an extended beta-hairpin loop between residues 91 and 92 (porcine pepsin numbers). However, the sizes of the processing regions of cathepsin Ds from different species are considerably different. For the enzymes from rats, cows, pigs, and human, the sizes of the processing regions are 6, 9, 9, and 11 amino acid residues, respectively. The amino acid sequences within the processing regions are considerably different. In addition, the proteolytic processing sites were found to be completely different in the bovine and porcine cathepsin Ds. While in the porcine enzyme, an Asn-Ser bond and a Gly-Val bond are cleaved to release 5 residues as a consequence of the processing; in the bovine enzyme, two Ser-Ser bonds are cleaved to release 2 serine residues. These findings would argue that the in vivo proteolytic processing of the cathepsin D single chain is probably not carried out by a specific "processing protease." Model building of the cathepsin D processing region conformation was conducted utilizing the homology between procathepsin D and porcine pepsinogen. The beta-hairpin structure of the processing region was found to (i) interact with the activation peptide of the procathepsin D in a beta-structure and (ii) place the Cys residue in the processing region within disulfide linkage distance to Cys-27 of cathepsin D light chain. These observations support the view that the processing region of cathepsin D may function to stabilize the conformation of procathepsin D and may play a role in its activation.     

Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of cathepsin D gene from turbot Scophthalmus maximus

Cathepsin D is a lysosomal endoproteolytic aspartic proteinase which also has been found in endosomes of macrophage. It is thought to play key roles in the developmental and physiological process of animals. The EST sequence of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) cathepsin D was obtained from a subtractive cDNA library. In the present study, 5'-RACE and 3'-RACE were carried out to obtain the complete cDNA sequence of turbot cathepsin D, which contained a 91 bp 5'-UTR, a 1191 bp open reading frame encoding 396 amino acids, and a 329 bp 3'-UTR. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cathepsin D consisted of a signal peptide of 18 aa, a leader peptide extending 43 aa, and a mature peptide of 335 aa. BLAST analysis revealed that turbot cathepsin D shared high similarity with other known cathepsin D, and it showed significant homology with that of Barramundi (Lates calcarifer B., 89% aa similarity). Quantitative real-time PCR (q PCR) demonstrated that the highest expression level of the turbot cathepsin D was in liver. After turbot were challenged with Vibrio harveyi, the lowest expression levels of cathepsin D in liver, spleen and head kidney were detected at 8 h. This result was different from the expression of MHCII of which the expression lever was increased upon challenge. The expression levels of cathepsin D in liver and head kidney increased gradually after 8 h and exceeded the background level after 24 h. In spleen, the expression level was reinforced after 8 h and kept at level that was higher than the original level after 12 h. The results suggested that cathepsin D might process antigens for presentation to the immune system and have synergetic effect with apoptosis pathway until 12 h after injection.     

Isolation, characterization, and amino-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of human neutrophil cathepsin G from normal donors

Human neutrophil cathepsin G from normal donors has been purified 82-fold using an isolation procedure which included sequential sodium chloride extraction, Aprotonin-Sepharose affinity chromatography, CM-cellulose ion-exchange chromatography, and AcA44 gel filtration chromatography. The inclusion of this last purification step was crucial for separating inactive lower molecular weight species from the active forms of neutrophil cathepsin G and resulted in a higher specific activity of the final preparation. SDS polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis of the purified reduced protein demonstrated three discrete polypeptides of Mr 31,000, 30,000, and 29,500. Peptide analysis of tryptic digests indicated that these three polypeptides are structurally related to each other and represent microheterogeneity of the purified protein. The cathepsin G peptide maps were distinctly different from the peptide maps of neutrophil elastase. The apparent isoelectric points of these forms as determined by two-dimensional electrophoresis was approximately 8.0. Utilizing microsequencing techniques, the first 25 residues of normal neutrophil cathepsin G have been determined and shown to be identical (except for residue 11) with the sequence of 21 residues of cathepsin G isolated from leukemic myeloid cells. A high degree of homology was found when the amino-terminal regions of neutrophil cathepsin G, rat mast cell protease II (65%) and two human serine proteinases, factor D (52%) and neutrophil elastase (48%), were compared. A precipitating monospecific antiserum to cathepsin G was produced by repeated immunizations of guinea pigs. This antiserum has been used in immunoblotting experiments to demonstrate that the intracellular form(s) of this enzyme is the same approximate Mr as the purified enzyme, and to develop a solid-phase radioimmunoassay for measuring neutrophil cathepsin G in the range 5-50 ng/ml.     

Secretory vesicle aminopeptidase B related to neuropeptide processing: molecular identification and subcellular localization to enkephalin- and NPY-containing chromaffin granules

Biosynthesis of peptide hormones and neurotransmittters involves proteolysis of proprotein precursors by secretory vesicle cathepsin L. Cathepsin L generates peptide intermediates with basic residues at their NH(2)-termini, indicating that Arg/Lys aminopeptidase is needed to generate the smaller biologically active peptide. Therefore, this study identified the Arg/Lys aminopeptidase that is present in secretory vesicles of adrenal medulla and neuroendocrine tissues, achieved by molecular cloning and localization in 'model' neuropeptide-containing secretory vesicles (bovine). Molecular cloning of the bovine aminopeptidase B (AP-B) cDNA defined its primary sequence that allowed selection of antisera for immunolocalization studies. AP-B was present in secretory vesicles that contain cathepsin L with the neuropeptides enkephalin and neuropeptide Y. The AP-B in several neuroendocrine tissues was detected by western blots. Recombinant bovine AP-B showed preference for Arg-methylcoumarinamide substrate. AP-B was inhibited by arphamenine, an inhibitor of aminopeptidases. Bovine AP-B showed similar activities for Arg-(Met)enkephalin (ME) and Lys-ME neuropeptide substrates to generate ME, while rat AP-B preferred Arg-ME. Furthermore, AP-B possesses an acidic pH optimum of 5.5-6.5 that is similar to the internal pH of secretory vesicles. The significant finding of the secretory vesicle localization of AP-B with neuropeptides and cathepsin L suggests a role for this exopeptidase in the biosynthesis of neuropeptides.     

Molecular cloning of cDNA for rat cathepsin C. Cathepsin C, a cysteine proteinase with an extremely long propeptide

A cDNA for rat cathepsin C (dipeptidylaminopeptidase I) was isolated. The deduced amino acid sequence of cathepsin C comprises 462 amino acid residues: 28 NH2-terminal residues corresponding to the signal peptide, 201 residues corresponding to the propeptide, and 233 COOH-terminal residues corresponding to the mature enzyme region. Four potential glycosylation sites were found, three located in the propeptide region, and one in the mature enzyme region. The amino acid sequence of mature cathepsin C has 39.5% identity to that of cathepsin H, 35.1% to that of cathepsin L, 30.1% to that of cathepsin B, and 33.3% to that of papain. Cathepsin C, therefore, is a member of the papain family, although its propeptide region is much longer than those of other cysteine proteinases and shows no significant amino acid sequence similarity to any other cysteine proteinase.     

Mechanism of uptake of C105Y, a novel cell-penetrating peptide

C105Y, a synthetic peptide (CSIPPEVKFNKPFVYLI) based on the amino acid sequence corresponding to residues 359-374 of alpha1-antitrypsin, enhances gene expression from DNA nanoparticles. To investigate how this enhancement occurs, C105Y was fluorescently labeled to study its uptake and intracellular trafficking. When human hepatoma cells (HuH7) were incubated with fluorescently labeled C105Y for as little as 3 min, C105Y displayed nuclear and cytoplasmic staining with enrichment of fluorescent signal in the nucleus and nucleolus. Uptake and nucleolar localization were observed with the short sequence PFVYLI, but not with SIPPEVKFNK, and the D-isomer was readily taken up into cells but not into the nucleus. We found that the C105Y peptide is routed to the nucleolus very rapidly in an energy-dependent fashion, whereas membrane translocation and nuclear localization are energy-independent. When we tested the involvement of known endocytosis pathways in uptake and trafficking of this peptide, we demonstrated that C105Y peptide is internalized by a clathrin- and caveolin-independent pathway, although lipid raft-mediated endocytosis may play a role in peptide intracellular trafficking. Efficient energy-independent cell entry with rapid nuclear localization probably accounts for enhancement of gene expression from inclusion of C105Y into DNA nanoparticles.     

Comparative study on specificities of rat cathepsin L and papain: amino acid differences at substrate-binding sites are involved in their specificities

Sixty-nine rat cathepsin L-susceptible peptide bonds were analyzed employing various peptide substrates. The proteolytic specificities of rat cathepsin L and papain were compared and the results are discussed in relation to differences in amino acid residues around their binding sites. The specificity of cathepsin L, which is characterized by a remarkable preference for hydrophobic amino acids at the P2 site of the scissile peptide bonds, was analogous to that of papain as a whole. This analogous specificity suggests that the binding sites of the two proteases are analogous, as expected from their homologous amino acid sequences. However, there is a slight difference in the preference for S3 site between them. That is, cathepsin L showed a greater preference for bulky and hydrophobic amino acids at the S3 site than did papain. Based on the computer-graphically deduced structure of the binding sites of cathepsin L, the preferences for hydrophobic amino acids at the S2 site and for bulky and hydrophobic amino acids at the S3 site of the protease are supposed to be related to the compensating amino acid substitutions at the S2 site (V133A and V157L) and the reduction in size at the S3 site (Y61Q and Y67L), respectively. The discussion of the effect of the amino acid substitutions on the proteolytic activities of cathepsin L and papain in this paper provides a basis for more advanced studies of the relationship between structure and function of proteases belonging to the papain superfamily by means of protein engineering.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of cathepsin F gene from olive flounder Paralichthys Olivaceus

We isolated a homologue of cathepsin F from cDNA library of olive flounder liver. A 2,077 kb full-length cDNA encoding a predicted polypeptide of 474 amino acids was sequenced. The flounder cathepsin F exhibits a domain structure typical for papain-like cysteine proteases, a 17 amino acid N-terminal hydrophobic signal sequence followed by an extraordinarily long propeptide of 244 amino acids and the domain of the mature protease comprising 213 amino acids. The mature region contains all features characteristic of a papain-like cysteine protease, including the highly conserved cysteine, histidine and asparagine residues of the ‘catalytic triad’. The cathepsin F protein showed 49–99% amino acid sequence identity with other known cathepsin F sequences. An in vivo expression study showed that cathepsin F mRNA was expressed predominantly in brain, liver, eye and heart, and moderately in other tissues. The accumulation of cathepsin F mRNA in early stage of development increased with development. This expression pattern suggests that flounder cathepsin F has been implicated in the growth and reproduction regulation.     

Cathepsin L is responsible for processing and activation of proheparanase through multiple cleavages of a linker segment

Heparanase is an endo-beta-d-glucuronidase that degrades heparan sulfate in the extracellular matrix and on the cell surface. Human proheparanase is produced as a latent protein of 543 amino acids whose activation involves excision of an internal linker segment (Ser(110)-Gln(157)), yielding the active heterodimer composed of 8- and 50-kDa subunits. Applying cathepsin L knock-out tissues and cultured fibroblasts, as well as cathepsin L gene silencing and overexpression strategies, we demonstrate, for the first time, that removal of the linker peptide and conversion of proheparanase into its active 8 + 50-kDa form is brought about predominantly by cathepsin L. Excision of a 10-amino acid peptide located at the C terminus of the linker segment between two functional cathepsin L cleavage sites (Y156Q and Y146Q) was critical for activation of proheparanase. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry demonstrates that the entire linker segment is susceptible to multiple endocleavages by cathepsin L, generating small peptides. Mass spectrometry demonstrated further that an active 8-kDa subunit can be generated by several alternative adjacent endocleavages, yielding the precise 8-kDa subunit and/or slightly elongated forms. Altogether, the mode of action presented here demonstrates that processing and activation of proheparanase can be brought about solely by cathepsin L. The critical involvement of cathepsin L in proheparanase processing and activation offers new strategies for inhibiting the prometastatic, proangiogenic, and proinflammatory activities of heparanase.     

Molecular cloning, tissue distribution and enzymatic characterization of cathepsin X from olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

In this study, we have cloned a cDNA encoding for cathepsin X (PoCtX) from the olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. The presence of an HIP motif, which is conserved in the unique cathepsin X family, PoCtX, clearly shows its relation to the cathepsin X group, apart from the cathepsin L or B subfamily. The results of RT-PCR and real-time PCR analyses revealed ubiquitous PoCtX expression in normal and LPS-stimulated tissues. The cDNA encoding for the proenzyme of PoCtX (proPoCtX) was expressed in Escherichia coli as a 57 kDa fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase. Its activity was quantified via the cleavage of the synthetic fluorogenic peptide substrate Z-Phe-Arg-AMC, and the optimal pH for the protease activity was 5. The recombinant proPoCtX was inhibited by antipain and leupeptin. The PoCtX protein from P. olivaceus muscle extracts was purified 9.48-fold via a one-step purification process using a DEAE-Sephagel high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column. Western blotting and ELISA were conducted in order to evaluate the reaction ability and detection-specificity of the anti-proPoCtX polyclonal antibody to native PoCtX and recombinant proPoCtX proteins. Our findings indicate that the P. olivaceus cathepsin X is highly conserved within the cathepsin X subfamily in terms of its amino acid sequence, tissue expression, and biochemical activity.