Cathepsin D propeptide: mechanism and regulation of its interaction with the catalytic core

Propeptide blocks the active site in the inactive zymogen of cathepsin D and is cleaved off during zymogen activation. We have designed a set of peptidic fragments derived from the propeptide structure and evaluated their inhibitory potency against mature cathepsin D using a kinetic assay. Our mapping of the cathepsin D propeptide indicated two domains in the propeptide involved in the inhibitory interaction with the enzyme core: the active site "anchor" domain and the N-terminus of the propeptide. The latter plays a dominant role in propeptide inhibition (nanomolar Ki), and its high-affinity binding was corroborated by fluorescence polarization measurements. In addition to the inhibitory domains of propeptide, a fragment derived from the N-terminus of mature cathepsin D displayed inhibition. This finding supports its proposed regulatory function. The interaction mechanisms of the identified inhibitory domains were characterized by determining their modes of inhibition as well as by spatial modeling of the propeptide in the zymogen molecule. The inhibitory interaction of the N-terminal propeptide domain was abolished in the presence of sulfated polysaccharides, which interact with basic propeptide residues. The inhibitory potency of the active site anchor domain was affected by the Ala38pVal substitution, a propeptide polymorphism reported to be associated with the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. We infer that propeptide is a sensitive tethered ligand that allows for complex modulation of cathepsin D zymogen activation.     

Structural basis for specificity of propeptide-enzyme interaction in barley C1A cysteine peptidases

C1A cysteine peptidases are synthesized as inactive proenzymes. Activation takes place by proteolysis cleaving off the inhibitory propeptide. The inhibitory capacity of propeptides from barley cathepsin L and B-like peptidases towards commercial and barley cathepsins has been characterized. Differences in selectivity have been found for propeptides from L-cathepsins against their cognate and non cognate enzymes. Besides, the propeptide from barley cathepsin B was not able to inhibit bovine cathepsin B. Modelling of their three-dimensional structures suggests that most propeptide inhibitory properties can be explained from the interaction between the propeptide and the mature cathepsin structures. Their potential use as biotechnological tools is discussed.     

Human cathepsin H: deletion of the mini-chain switches substrate specificity from aminopeptidase to endopeptidase

The mini-chain of human cathepsin H has been identified as the major structural element determining the protease's substrate specificity. A genetically engineered mutant of human cathepsin H lacking the mini-chain, des[Glu(-18)-Thr(-11)]-cathepsin H, exhibits endopeptidase activity towards the synthetic substrate Z-Phe-Arg-NH-Mec (kcat = 0.4 s(-1), Km = 92 microM, kcat/Km = 4348 M(-1) s(-1)) which is not cleaved by r-wt cathepsin H. However, the mutant enzyme shows only minimal aminopeptidase activity for H-Arg-NH-Mec (kcat = 0.8 s(-1), Km = 3.6 mM, kcat/Km = 222 M(-1) s(-1)) which is one of the best known substrates for native human cathepsin H (kcat = 2.5 s(-1), Km = 150 microM, kcat/Km = 16666 M(-1) s(-1)). Inhibition studies with chicken egg white cystatin and E-64 suggest that the mini-chain normally restricts access of inhibitors to the active site. The kinetic data on substrates hydrolysis and enzyme inhibition point out the role of the mini-chain as a structural framework for transition state stabilization of free alpha-amino groups of substrates and as a structural barrier for endopeptidase-like substrate cleavage.     

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.     

Molecular cloning and sequencing of a cDNA coding for mature human kidney cathepsin H

A cDNA library was established from human kidney RNA and screened with an extended oligonucleotide probe derived from the amino-acid sequence of human cathepsin H. A recombinant clone, pRF15, was isolated and characterized. DNA sequence analysis of its 1106-nucleotide-long insert revealed that pRF15 encodes the complete protein sequence of mature cathepsin H plus 28 amino acids of a propeptide, thus confirming that cathepsin H is synthesized as a larger precursor molecule and posttranslationally processed. Northern blot analysis indicated that cathepsin H is predominantly synthesized in kidney. A high degree of sequence homology was observed with rat cathepsin H, especially within the propeptide. The part of the prosequence coding for the "minichain" is conserved in the prosequence of aleurain, a plant thiol protease.     

The propeptide of cruzipain--a potent selective inhibitor of the trypanosomal enzymes cruzipain and brucipain, and of the human enzyme cathepsin F

Papain-like cysteine proteases of pathogenic protozoa play important roles in parasite growth, differentiation and host cell invasion. The main cysteine proteases of Trypanosoma cruzi (cruzipain) and of Trypanosoma brucei (brucipain) are validated targets for the development of new chemotherapies. These proteases are synthesized as precursors and activated upon removal of the N-terminal prodomain. Here we report potent and selective inhibition of cruzipain and brucipain by the recombinant full-length prodomain of cruzipain. The propeptide did not inhibit human cathepsins S, K or B or papain at the tested concentrations, and moderately inhibited human cathepsin V. Human cathepsin F was very efficiently inhibited (K(i) of 32 pm), an interesting finding indicating that cruzipain propeptide is able to discriminate cathepsin F from other cathepsin L-like enzymes. Comparative structural modeling and analysis identified the interaction between the beta1p-alpha3p loop of the propeptide and the propeptide-binding loop of mature enzymes as a plausible cause of the observed inhibitory selectivity.     

Folding competence of N-terminally truncated forms of human procathepsin B

Besides acting as an inhibitor, the propeptide of human cathepsin B exerts an important auxiliary function as a chaperone in promoting correct protein folding. To explore the ability of N-terminally truncated forms of procathepsin B to fold into enzymatically active proteins, we produced procathepsin B variants progressively lacking N-terminal structural elements in baculovirus-infected insect cells. N-terminal truncation of the propeptide by up to 22 amino acids did not impair the production of activable procathepsin B. Secreted forms lacking the first 20, 21, or 22 amino acids spontaneously generated mature cathepsin B through autocatalytic processing, demonstrating that the first alpha-helix (Asp11-Arg20) is necessary for efficient inhibition of the enzyme by its propeptide. In contrast, proenzymes lacking the N-terminal part including the first beta-sheet (Trp24-Ala26) of the propeptide or containing an amino acid mutation directly preceding this beta-sheet were no longer properly folded. This shows that interactions between Trp24 of the propeptide and Tyr183, Tyr188, and Phe180 of the mature enzyme are important for stabilization and essential for procathepsin B folding. Thus, proenzyme forms missing more than the N-terminal 22 amino acids of the propeptide (notably truncated cathepsin B produced by the mRNA splice variant lacking exons 2 and 3, resulting in a propeptide shortened by 34 amino acids) are devoid of proteolytic activity because they cannot fold correctly. Thus, any pathophysiological involvement of truncated cathepsin B must be ascribed to properties other than proteolysis.     

Crystal structure of Stefin A in complex with cathepsin H: N-terminal residues of inhibitors can adapt to the active sites of endo- and exopeptidases

Binding of cystatin-type inhibitors to papain-like exopeptidases cannot be explained by the stefin B-papain complex. The crystal structure of human stefin A bound to an aminopeptidase, porcine cathepsin H, has been determined in monoclinic and orthorhombic crystal forms at 2.8A and 2.4A resolutions, respectively. The asymmetric unit of each form contains four complexes. The structures are similar to the stefin B-papain complex, but with a few distinct differences. On binding, the N-terminal residues of stefin A adopt the form of a hook, which pushes away cathepsin H mini-chain residues and distorts the structure of the short four residue insertion (Lys155A-Asp155D) unique to cathepsin H. Comparison with the structure of isolated cathepsin H shows that the rims of the cathepsin H structure are slightly displaced (up to 1A) from their position in the free enzyme. Furthermore, comparison with the stefin B-papain complex showed that molecules of stefin A bind about 0.8A deeper into the active site cleft of cathepsin H than stefin B into papain. The approach of stefin A to cathepsin H induces structural changes along the interaction surface of both molecules, whereas no such changes were observed in the stefin B-papain complex. Carboxymethylation of papain seems to have prevented the formation of the genuine binding geometry between a papain-like enzyme and a cystatin-type inhibitor as we observe it in the structure presented here.     

Processing of pulmonary surfactant protein B by napsin and cathepsin H

Surfactant protein B (SP-B) is an essential constituent of pulmonary surfactant. SP-B is synthesized in alveolar type II cells as a preproprotein and processed to the mature peptide by the cleavage of NH2- and COOH-terminal peptides. An aspartyl protease has been suggested to cleave the NH2-terminal propeptide resulting in a 25-kDa intermediate. Napsin, an aspartyl protease expressed in alveolar type II cells, was detected in fetal lung homogenates as early as day 16 of gestation, 1 day before the onset of SP-B expression and processing. Napsin was localized to multivesicular bodies, the site of SP-B proprotein processing in type II cells. Incubation of SP-B proprotein from type II cells with a crude membrane extract from napsin-transfected cells resulted in enhanced levels of a 25-kDa intermediate. Purified napsin cleaved a recombinant SP-B/EGFP fusion protein within the NH2-terminal propeptide between Leu178 and Pro179, 22 amino acids upstream of the NH2 terminus of mature SP-B. Cathepsin H, a cysteine protease also implicated in pro-SP-B processing, cleaved SP-B/EGFP fusion protein 13 amino acids upstream of the NH2 terminus of mature SP-B. Napsin did not cleave the COOH-terminal peptide, whereas cathepsin H cleaved the boundary between mature SP-B and the COOH-terminal peptide and at several other sites within the COOH-terminal peptide. Knockdown of napsin by small interfering RNA resulted in decreased levels of mature SP-B and mature SP-C in type II cells. These results suggest that napsin, cathepsin H, and at least one other enzyme are involved in maturation of the biologically active SP-B peptide.     

The alpha1/2 helical backbone of the prodomains defines the intrinsic inhibitory specificity in the cathepsin L-like cysteine protease subfamily

Proregions of papain-like cysteine proteases are potent and often highly selective inhibitors of their parental enzymes. The molecular basis of their selectivity is poorly understood. For two closely related members of the cathepsin L-like subfamily we established strong selectivity differences. The propeptide of cathepsin S was observed to inhibit cathepsin L with a K(i) of 0.08 nM, yet cathepsin L propeptide inhibited cathepsin S only poorly. To identify the respective structural correlates we engineered chimeric propeptides and compared their inhibitory specificity with the wild-types. Specificity resided in the N-terminal part, strongly suggesting that the backbone of the prodomain was the underlying structure.     

Inhibition of cathepsin L-like proteases by cathepsin V propeptide

The N-terminal propeptide domains of several cathepsin L-like cysteine proteases have been shown to possess potent inhibitory activity. Here we report the first kinetic characterisation of the inhibition properties of the cathepsin V propeptide (CatV PP). Using a facile recombinant approach we demonstrate expression, purification and evaluation of the CatV PP. This propeptide was found to behave as a tight-binding inhibitor against CatV (K (i) 10.2 nm). It also functions as an inhibitor against other members of the CatL-like subclass (CatL, 9.8 nm; CatS, 10.7 nm; and CatK, 149 nm) and had no discernible effects upon the more distantly related CatB.     

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.     

Role of the prosegment of Fasciola hepatica cathepsin L1 in folding of the catalytic domain

The N-terminal propeptides of cysteine proteinases play regulatory roles in the folding and stability of their catalytic domains, as well as being potent and highly specific inhibitors of their parental mature enzymes. Cysteine proteinases play a major role in the biology of the parasitic trematode Fasciola hepatica; in particular, this organism secretes significant amounts of cathepsin L enzymes. The isolated propeptide of F. hepatica cathepsin L1 functioned as a chaperone for the mature enzyme in renaturation experiments. A double point mutation (N701/F721) within the GxNxFxD motif of the propeptide affected its conformation and markedly decreased its affinity for the mature enzyme. When this mutation was introduced into preprocathepsin L1 expressed in yeast, the secretion of active enzyme dropped dramatically. However, significant enzyme activity was recovered from the culture supernatants after denaturation and renaturation in the presence of native propeptide. Thus, the variant prosegment gave rise to an enzyme with altered conformation, which could be refolded to the active form with the assistance of the native propeptide.     

The influence of differential processing of procathepsin H on its aminopeptidase activity, secretion and subcellular localization in human cell lines

Cathepsin H is a unique member of the cysteine cathepsins that acts primarily as an aminopeptidase. Like other cysteine cathepsins, it is synthesized as an inactive precursor and activated by proteolytic removal of its propeptide. Here we demonstrate that, in human cells, the processing of the propeptide is an autocatalytic, multistep process proceeding from an inactive 41kDa pro-form, through a 30kDa intermediate form, to the 28kDa mature form. Tyr87P and Gly90P were identified as the two major endopeptidase cleavage sites, converting the 30kDa form into the mature 28kDa form. The level of processing differs significantly in different human cell lines. In monocyte-derived macrophages U937 and prostate cancer cells PC-3, the 28kDa form is predominant, whereas in osteoblasts HOS the processing from the 30kDa form to the 28kDa form is significantly lower. The aminopeptidase activity of the enzyme and its subcellular localization are independent of the product, however the 30kDa form was not secreted in HOS cells. The activity of the resulting cathepsin H in U937 cells was significantly lower than that in HOS cells, presumably due to the high levels of endogenous cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin F present specifically in this cell line. These results provide an insight into the dependence of human cathepsin H processing and regulation on cell type.     

Effect of proteinase inhibitors on intracellular processing of cathepsin B, H and L in rat macrophages

The effects of various proteinase inhibitors on the processing of lysosomal cathepsins B, H and L were investigated in cultured rat peritoneal macrophages. The processing of newly synthesized pro-cathepsins B, H and L to the mature single-chain enzymes was sensitive to a metal chelator,1,10-phenanthroline, and a synthetic metalloendopeptidase substrate, Z-Gly-Leu-NH2, and insensitive to inhibitors of serine proteinases, aspartic proteinases and cysteine proteinases. Inhibitors of cysteine proteinases, E-64-d and leupeptin, inhibited the processing of the single-chain forms of cathepsins B, H and L to the two-chain forms. These results suggest that (a) metal endopeptidase(s) is (are) involved in the propeptide processing of cathepsin B, H and L, and that proteolytic cleavages of the mature single-chain cathepsins are accomplished by cysteine proteinases in lysosomes.     

The role of the cathepsin D propeptide in sorting to the lysosome.

The propeptides of lysosomal enzymes have been implicated in membrane association and mannose 6-phosphate-independent sorting to the lysosome (Rijnboutt, S., Aerts, H., Geuze, H. J., Tager, J. M., and Strous, G. J. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4862-4868; McIntyre, G. F., and Erickson, A. H. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 15438-15445). In this report, the function of the propeptide of procathepsin D in sorting to the lysosome was directly assessed using a cathepsin D deletion mutant lacking the propeptide, and using a chimeric cDNA encoding the cathepsin D propeptide fused to the secretory protein alpha-lactalbumin. Proteins encoded by these cDNAs were expressed in mouse Ltk- cells and in human hepatoma Hep G2 cells, and then immunoprecipitated and analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The deletion mutant was glycosylated but was rapidly degraded in a chloroquine-independent fashion and did not assume an active conformation. Thus the propeptide appeared to be necessary for correct folding. The chimeric protein was glycosylated and secreted. The coincidence of complex oligosaccharide modification and secretion of the chimeric protein suggested that it was slowly released from the endoplasmic reticulum and rapidly passed through the cell to the extracellular compartment. This was confirmed by immunofluorescent localization of the proteins. The data indicated that the propeptide appeared to be necessary for folding of cathepsin D but, unlike the yeast vacuolar propeptides, was not sufficient to direct a secretory protein to the lysosome in fibroblasts or in epithelial cells.     

Cytoskeletal architecture and cathepsin B trafficking in human articular chondrocytes

In the differentiated state, human articular chondrocytes exhibited modestly developed cytoskeletal components, while cells dedifferentiated by serial subcultures in vitro displayed a prominent cytoskeleton. Morphological changes, a well-developed actin cytoskeleton, and the presence of numerous intracellular organelles were characteristic features of the dedifferentiated chondrocyte phenotype. These properties correlated with the expression, biosynthesis, storage, and secretion of the cysteine peptidase, cathepsin B, a marker of the dedifferentiated chondrocyte phenotype and a potent mediator of cartilage catabolism in osteoarthritis. Both the actin cytoskeleton and microtubules were responsible for trafficking of cathepsin B between cellular compartments in chondrocytes. Despite the endosomes and lysosomes storing high amounts of mature cathepsin B, this enzyme could not be visualized in its active form within these organelles. However, enzymatically active cathepsin B was associated with polymerized tubulin, and was no longer detectable after disruption of the microtubules. This enzyme species possibly represents the mature cathepsin B form in transport vesicles, after cleavage of the inhibitory propeptide, on the way to a final target. These results suggest noteworthy parallels between osteoarthritic articular cartilage and the artificially dedifferentiated cell phenotype, including the expression of type I collagen, the expression of cathepsin B, a significant modification of the cytoskeleton, and the formation of abundant secretory vesicles. These similarities justify the use of chondrocyte cultures as models of the behavior of cartilage cells in osteoarthritis.     

The occluding loop in cathepsin B defines the pH dependence of inhibition by its propeptide

Papain-like proenzymes are prone to autoprocess under acidic pH conditions. Similarly, peptides derived from the proregion of cathepsin B are potent pH-dependent inhibitors of that enzyme; i.e., at pH 6.0 the inhibition of human cathepsin B by its propeptide is defined by slow binding kinetics with a Ki of 3.7 nM and at pH 4.0 by classical kinetics with a Ki of 82 nM. This pH dependency is essentially eliminated either by the removal of a portion of the enzyme's occluding loop through deletion mutagenesis or by the mutation of either residue Asp22 or His110 to alanine; e.g., the mutant enzyme His110Ala is inhibited by its propeptide with Ki's of 2.0 +/- 0.3 nM at pH 4.0 and 1.1 +/- 0.2 nM at pH 6.0. For the His110Ala mutant the inhibition also displays slow binding kinetics at both pH 4.0 and pH 6.0. As shown by the crystal structure of mature cathepsin B [Musil, D., et al. (1991) EMBO J. 10, 2321-2330] Asp22 and His110 form a salt bridge in the mature enzyme, and it has been shown that this bridge stabilizes the occluding loop in its closed position [N?gler, D. K., et al. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 12608-12615]. Thus the pH dependency of propeptide binding can be explained on the basis of a competitive binding between the occluding loop and the propeptide. At low pH, when the Asp22-His110 pair forms a salt bridge stabilizing the occluding loop in its closed conformation, the loop more effectively competes with the propeptide than at higher pH where deprotonation of His110 and the concomitant destruction of the Asp22-His110 salt bridge results in a destabilization of the closed form of the loop. The rate of autocatalytic processing of procathepsin B to cathepsin B correlates with the affinity of the enzyme for its propeptide rather than with its catalytic activity, thus suggesting a possible influence of occluding loop stability on the rate of processing.     

An evolutionarily conserved tripartite tryptophan motif stabilizes the prodomains of cathepsin L-like cysteine proteases.

Cathepsin L-like cysteine proteinases contain an evolutionarily highly conserved alpha-helical motif in the proregion. This is called the ER(F/W)N(I/V)N motif according to the conserved amino acids along one side of the helix. We studied the function of this motif using site-directed mutagenesis experiments of human procathepsin S. We replaced each of these amino acids with alanine and constructed deletion mutants lacking parts of the helix. All mutants were expressed in HEK 293 cells, but only one, W52A, was not processed to mature cathepsin S, nor was it phosphorylated or secreted into the culture medium. W52 is part of the hydrophobic core in the propeptide region of cathepsin S comprising two additional tryptophan residues, W28 and W31, also conserved among cathepsin L-like cysteine peptidases. Replacement of the latter with alanine led to consequences similar to those with the W52A mutation. Recombinant propeptides containing mutations of one of the three tryptophan residues were three orders of magnitude less effective as inhibitors of mature cathepsin S than the wild-type propeptide. The results point to a dominant role of the respective hydrophobic stack in the proper folding, transport and maturation of procathepsin S and related cathepsin L-like cysteine proteinases.