Human plasma kininogens are identical with alpha-cysteine proteinase inhibitors. Evidence from immunological, enzymological and sequence data

Human high- and low-Mr kininogens were shown to be potent inhibitors of cysteine proteinases such as cathepsin L and papain (Ki = 17-48 pM). A strong immunological cross-reaction between the kininogens and low-Mr alpha-cysteine proteinase inhibitor from human plasma was found. Comparison of partial amino acid sequences from high- and low-Mr kininogen and low-Mr alpha-cysteine proteinase inhibitor demonstrated sequence identity for all segments analyzed. These findings suggest that the kininogens and the alpha-cysteine proteinase inhibitors from human plasma are identical proteins.     

Purification of a neutral proteinase, associated with the actomyosin complex, from uterine myometrium.

We have purified and characterized a neutral proteinase activity from pig uterine myometrium. The proteinase co-purified with the actomyosin complex and could only be separated from it by a high concentration of a chaotropic ion, 3M-NaBr. The proteinase was further purified by gel filtration and affinity chromatography. The purified protein showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis corresponding to an Mr of 28 000. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 in a buffer containing 3M-NaBr gave an Mr of 27 500. Without the addition of the chaotropic Br- ion, the proteinase aggregates to high-Mr forms of more than 10(6)Da. The proteinase has optimum hydrolytic activity with casein as substrate at pH 7.5-8.0. The thiol-group-blocking reagents p-chloromercuribenzoate, p-chloromercuribenzenesulphonate and Hg2+, as well as soya-bean trypsin inhibitor and 4-aminobenzamidine, inhibited the proteinase. Other bivalent cations, chelating agents and the serine-specific reagents 7-amino-1-chloro-3-tosylamido-L-heptan-2-one and phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride were without any effect on proteinase activity. The proteinase degraded myosin very rapidly at a molar ratio of proteinase to myosin of 1:50, concomitant with the rate of loss of the ATPase activity. Compared with myosin, actin was only a poor substrate and was degraded at a much lower rate, even at a high molar ratio of the proteinase to actin.     

Purification of high and low molecular weight plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 from fibrosarcoma cell-line HT 1080 conditioned medium

Functionally active (high-Mr) and inactive (low-Mr) plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI) have been purified from fibrosarcoma cell-line HT 1080 conditioned medium, containing 1% fetal calf serum. The two forms were first purified by affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose and then separated from each other by gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. The final purification was achieved by affinity chromatography on insolubilized monoclonal antibodies towards human PAI. Alternatively, the low-Mr form was purified by chromatography on carboxymethyl-cellulose. Low-Mr PAI purified in this way, could be almost fully reactivated by treatment with guanidinium chloride. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting revealed that the low-Mr form contained nothing but PAI at an Mr of about 50,000. In addition to PAI, the high-Mr form contained a component, which was not antigenically related to PAI. This compound had a molecular weight of about 75,000 and its NH2-terminal amino acid sequence corresponded to that of human vitronectin. We conclude that the high-Mr form of PAI constitutes a complex between 50,000 Mr PAI and vitronectin from fetal calf serum.     

Purification and characterization of a low molecular weight cysteine proteinase inhibitor from bovine muscle

A low-Mr tight binding proteinase inhibitor was purified from bovine muscle by alkaline denaturation of cysteine proteinases, gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 and affinity chromatography on carboxymethyl-papain-Sepharose. Chromatofocusing separated three isoforms which are similar in their Mr of about 14 000, their stability with heating at 80 degrees C and their inhibitory activity towards cathepsin H, cathepsin B and papain. The equilibrium constants (Ki) were determined for these three cysteine proteinases but for cathepsin H, association (kass) and dissociation (kdiss) rate constants were also evaluated. Ki values of 56 nM and 8.4 nM were found for cathepsin B and cathepsin H, respectively. For papain, Ki was in the range of 0.1-1 nM. The kinetic features of enzyme-inhibitor binding suggest a possible role for this low-Mr protein inhibitor in controlling 'in vivo' cathepsin H proteolytic activity. With regard to cathepsin B, such a physiological role was less evident.     

Affinity purification and subunit structures of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases A and B from boar epididymis.

beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidase from boar epididymis was separated into two forms, A and B, on DEAE-cellulose. Both these forms were excluded from Sepharose S-200 and had apparent Mr values of 510 000 on gradient gel electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions. Affinity chromatography on 2-acetamido-N-(6-aminohexanoyl)-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosylam ine coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B was used to separate and purify beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases A and B that had specific activities of 115 and 380 mumol/min per mg of protein respectively. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of denatured beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase A gave a single major component of Mr 67 000. beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidase B also had this component, and in addition had polypeptides of Mr 29 000 and 26 000. All these polypeptides were glycosylated. Antiserum to the B form precipitated form A from solution and reacted with the 67 000-Mr component or form A after electrophoretic transfer from sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets. The 67 000-Mr components of forms A and B yielded identical peptide maps when digested with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase, and the 29 000-Mr and 26 000-Mr components in form B may be related to the 67 000-Mr polypeptide.     

Interrelationship of active and latent secreted human cathepsin B precursors.

Two high-Mr forms of cathepsin B have been described previously, both of which are stable at alkaline pH, in contrast with the lysosomal proteinase. One form is latent and activated by pepsin treatment; the other form is active as measured with synthetic substrates. In the present study it was shown that the two forms are indistinguishable on the basis of molecular size as determined by gel-filtration chromatography or sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting. Both forms lose their alkali-stability upon exposure to Hg2+, and after Hg2+ treatment the latent form becomes immuneprecipitable by an antiserum that reacts only with denatured cathepsin B. Lysosomal cathepsin B is bound by the plasma proteinase inhibitor alpha 2-macroglobulin, a process that requires proteolytic cleavage of the inhibitor. In contrast, the stable active form of cathepsin B is not bound by this inhibitor unless this enzyme is first destabilized by Hg2+ treatment. These results indicate that cathepsin B exists in three different states of activity, completely latent, partially active and fully proteolytically active. To exhibit true endopeptidase activity it seems that the enzyme must be in an alkali-unstable form.     

Inhibition of cysteine proteinases and dipeptidyl peptidase I by egg-white cystatin.

The interactions between egg-white cystatin and the cysteine proteinases papain, human cathepsin B and bovine dipeptidyl peptidase I were studied. Cystatin was shown to be a competitive reversible inhibitor of cathepsin B (Ki 1.7 nM, k-1 about 2.3 X 10(-3) s-1). The inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase I was shown to be reversible (Ki(app.) 0.22 nM, k-1 about 2.2 X 10(-3) s-1). Cystatin bound papain too tightly for Ki to be determined, but an upper limit of 5 pM was estimated. The association was a second-order process, with k+1 1.0 X 10(7) M-1 X s-1. Papain was shown to form equimolar complexes with cystatin. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of complexes formed between papain or cathepsin B and an excess of cystatin showed no peptide bond cleavage after incubation for 72 h. The reaction of the active-site thiol group of papain with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) at pH 8 and 2,2'-dithiobispyridine at pH 4 was blocked by complex-formation. Dipeptidyl peptidase I and papain were found to compete for binding to cystatin, contrary to a previous report. The two major isoelectric forms of cystatin were found to have similar specific inhibitory activities for papain, and similar affinities for papain, cathepsin B and dipeptidyl peptidase I. This, together with specific oxidation of the N-terminal serine residue with periodate, showed the N-terminal amino group of cystatin 1 to be unimportant for inhibition. General citraconylation of amino groups resulted in a large decrease in the affinity of cystatin for dipeptidyl peptidase I. It is concluded that the interaction of cystatin with cysteine proteinases has many characteristics similar to those of an inhibitor such as aprotinin with serine proteinases.     

Cystatin-like cysteine proteinase inhibitors from human liver.

Cysteine proteinase inhibitor (CPI) forms from human liver were purified from the tissue homogenate by alkaline denaturation of cysteine proteinases with which they are complexed, acetone fractionation, affinity chromatography on S-carboxymethyl-papain-Sepharose and chromatofocusing. The multiple forms of CPI were shown immunologically to be forms of two proteins, referred to as CPI-A (comprising the forms of relatively acidic pI) and CPI-B (comprising the more basic forms). CPI-A and CPI-B are similar in their Mr of about 12400, considerable stability to pH2, pH11 and 80 degrees C, and tight-binding inhibition of papain, several related cysteine proteinases and dipeptidyl peptidase I. Ki values were determined for papain, human cathepsins B, H and L, and dipeptidyl peptidase I. The affinity of CPI-A for cathepsin B was about 10-fold greater than that of CPI-B, whereas CBI-B showed about 100-fold stronger inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase I. For all the cysteine proteinases the liver inhibitors were somewhat less tight binding than cystatin. The resemblance of both CPI-A and CPI-B in several respects to egg-white cystatin is discussed. CPI-A seems to correspond to the epithelial inhibitor described previously, and CPI-B to the inhibitor from other cell types [Järvinen & Rinne (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 708, 210-217].     

Cathepsin D from pig myometrium. Characterization of the proteinase.

The purification of cathepsin D from pig uterus by two-step affinity chromatography on concanavalin A- and pepstatin-Sepharose was described previously [Afting & Becker (1981) Biochem. J. 197, 519-522]. In this paper, chemical and physical properties of the proteinase are presented. The purified enzyme showed three bands on SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphate)/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, one main band corresponding to an Mr of 31 000 and two minor bands with Mr values of 43 000 and 15 000 respectively. Gel filtration on Bio-gel P-150 and sedimentation-diffusion equilibrium studies give an Mr for the main band of about 35 000. The pI of the enzyme was determined to be 7.2. Haemoglobin was the best substrate, with a Km value of 6.4 X 10(-6)M. It was hydrolysed with a pH optimum between 3.0 and 3.3 for a substrate concentration of 100 microM. The proteinase was stable over the pH range of 3.5-6.5. At pH 6 the enzyme showed stability up to a temperature of 50 degrees C; at pH 3 the activity was already decreased below 40 degrees C. Carbohydrate studies resulted in the staining of all three bands on an SDS/polyacrylamide gel by thymol/H2SO4. After treatment with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H, all three bands were shifted to a region of lower Mr. Of various inhibitors tested, only pepstatin was strongly inhibiting, with a Ki of 2.1 X 10(-9)M.     

Multiple proteins related to the soluble galactose-binding animal lectin revealed by a monoclonal anti-lectin antibody.

An enzyme catalysing the O-methylation of isobutyraldoxime by S-adenosyl-L-methionine was isolated from Pseudomonas sp. N.C.I.B. 11652. The enzyme was purified 220-fold by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and chromatography on calcium phosphate gel. Homogeneity of the enzyme preparation was confirmed by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gel and sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The enzyme showed a narrow pH optimum at 10.25, required thiol-protecting agents for activity and was rapidly denatured at temperatures above 35 degrees C. The Km values for isobutyraldoxime and S-adenosyl-L-methionine were respectively 0.24 mM and 0.15 mM. Studies on substrate specificity indicated that attack was mainly restricted to oximes of C4-C6 aldehydes, with preference being shown for those with branching in the 2- or 3-position. Ketoximes were not substrates for the enzyme. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 gave an Mr of 84 000 for the intact enzyme, and sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis indicated an Mr of 37 500, suggesting the presence of two subunits in the intact enzyme. S-Adenosylhomocysteine was a powerful competitive inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine, with a Ki of 0.027 mM. The enzyme was also susceptible to inhibition by thiol-blocking reagents and heavy-metal ions. Mg2+ was not required for maximum activity.     

The primary inhibitor of plasmin in human plasma.

A complex between plasmin and an inhibitor was isolated by affinity chromatography from urokinase-activated human plasma. The complex did not react with antibodies against any of the known proteinase inhibitors in plasma. A rabbit antiserum against the complex was produced. It contained antibodies agianst plasminogen+plasmin and an alpha2 protein. By crossed immunoelectrophoresis the alpha2 protein was shown to form a complex with plasmin, when generated by urokinase in plasma, and with purified plasmin. The alpha2 protein was eluted by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration with KD approx. 0.35, different from the other inhibitors of plasmin in plasma, and corresponding to an apparent relative molecular mass (Mr) of about 75000. By sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, the Mr of the complex was found to be approx. 130000. After reduction of the complex two main bands of protein were observed, with Mr, about 72000 and 66000, probably representing an acyl-enzyme complex of plasmin-light chain and inhibitor-heavy chain, and a plasmin-heavy chain. A weak band with Mr 9000 was possibly an inhibitor-light chain. The inhibitor was partially purified and used to titrate purified plasmin of known active-site concentration. The inhibitor bound plasmin rapidly and strongly. Assuming an equimolar combining ratio, the concentration of active inhibitor in normal human plasma was estimated to be 1.1 mumol/1. A fraction about 0.3 of the antigenic inhibitor protein appeared to be functionally inactive. In plasma, plasmin is primarily bound to the inhibitor. Only after its saturation does lysis of fibrinogen and fibrin occur and a complex between plasmin and alpha2 macroglobulin appear.     

Mouse macrophage elastase. Purification and characterization as a metalloproteinase.

Macrophage elastase was purified from tissue-culture medium conditioned by inflammatory mouse peritoneal macrophages. Characterized as a secreted neutral metalloproteinase, this enzyme was shown to be catalytically and immunochemically distinct from the mouse pancreatic and mouse granulocyte elastases, both of which are serine proteinases. Inhibition profiles, production of nascent N-terminal leucine residues and sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of degraded elastin indicated that macrophage elastase is an endopeptidase, with properties of a metalloproteinase, rather than a serine proteinase. Macrophage elastase was inhibited by alpha 2-macroglobulin, but not by alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor. Macrophage elastase was resolved into three chromatographically distinct forms. The predominant form had mol.wt. 22 000 and was purified 4100-fold. Purification of biosynthetically radiolabelled elastase indicated that this form represented less than 0.5% of the secreted protein of macrophages. Approx. 800% of the starting activity was recovered after purification. Evidence was obtained for an excess of an endogenous inhibitor masking more than 80% of the secreted activity.     

Arterial basement-membrane-like material isolated and characterized from rabbit aortic myomedial cells in culture.

Arterial basement-membrane-like material was isolated from rabbit aortic myomedial cell cultures by sonication and differential centrifugation. Isolated basement-membrane-like material was shown to be free of both cellular and matrix contaminants, on the basis of determinations of DNA, RNA, cholesterol, phosphorus and (Na+ + K+)-activated ATPase, combined with electron microscopy. Amino acid analyses showed that arterial basement-membrane-like material was composed of predominantly non-collagenous amino acids. Evaluated by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, reduced basement-membrane-like material comprised six major and about 30 minor components in the Mr range 10 000-600 000. One of the major peptides (Mr 225 000) was disulphide-linked. Periodic acid-Schiff staining of gels indicated that most high-molecular-weight components were glycoproteins. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis resolved reduced basement-membrane-like material into more than 100 components, with pI from 5 to 7. The disulphide-linked Mr-225 000 peptide appeared heterogeneous, with pI of 5.6-6.0, and was considered to represent fibronectin. All major peptides were of non-collagenous nature, on the basis of their susceptibility to pepsin and resistance to collagenase. Purified myomedial basement-membrane-like material contained collagenous peptides, as indicated by the presence of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of pepsin-treated and reduced basement-membrane-like material revealed five high-molecular-weight collagenous components appearing in the Mr range 105 000-375 000 relative to type I collagen standards.     

Purification and characterization of a plasminogen activator secreted by a pig kidney cell line

The plasminogen activator secreted by calcitonin-treated pig kidney cells was purified, characterized and compared with human urinary urokinase. The purification procedure was based on the following steps: sulphopropyl-Sephadex chromatography, p-aminobenzamidine-Sepharose chromatography, preparative sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and isoelectrofocusing. The purified enzyme was obtained from the conditioned medium with a yield of 13% and a purification factor of 390-fold. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis under non-reducing conditions showed one closely spaced doublet with an Mr of 50 000; in the presence of reducing agents, two additional bands of Mr 30 000 and 20 000 appeared. The purified enzyme resembles the 53 000-Mr components of human urinary urokinase in amino acid composition and two-dimensional tryptic peptide maps and in its catalytic properties, and the two enzymes cross-react immunologically with rabbit antibodies raised against either. The enzyme appears to be different from tissue plasminogen activator secreted by HeLa cells.     

Cytochrome b-245 from human neutrophils is a glycoprotein.

Cytochrome b-245 is a glycoprotein. It runs as a broad band on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and its apparent Mr varies with the concentration of acrylamide. It stained positively with Schiff reagent and with silver stains after oxidation with periodic acid. It preferentially bound the lectin of Phaseolus vulgaris (type III), and cleavage of carbohydrate with endoglycosidase F resulted in a sharp band on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis with an apparent Mr of 55000 G.l.c. analysis of carbohydrate showed this to account for about 15% of the Mr and N-acetylglucosamine and galactose to be the major sugars.     

The stimulus-secretion coupling of glucose-induced insulin release. Environmental influences on L-glutamine oxidation in pancreatic islets.

Rat ovarian luteinizing hormone/human choriogonadotropin binding sites were labelled with 125I-choriogonadotropin in vivo, and the resulting 125I-choriogonadotropin-receptor complexes were solubilized by Triton X-100 and purified by use of antibodies to choriogonadotropin immobilized to agarose. The purified 125I-choriogonadotropin-receptor complex was treated with glutaraldehyde to crosslink radiolabelled hormone to the receptor. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of the crosslinked product revealed a labelled Mr 130 000 major band in addition to the hormone and its alpha-subunit, indicating that a single receptor component was linked to the hormone. Unoccupied binding sites for luteinizing hormone were also solubilized by Triton X-100 from pseudopregnant rat ovaries, and attached to choriogonadotropin-agarose. The agarose gel was washed, and eluted with 0.1 M-sodium acetate, pH 4. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of the pH 4 eluate revealed an Mr 90 000 major band which was abolished when ovaries presaturated with choriogonadotropin were used as starting material. These observations suggest that the hormone-binding component of the luteinizing hormone receptor is a polypeptide of Mr 90 000. This polypeptide was isolated and labelled with Na 125I. The labelled polypeptide showed a single band on sucrose density gradient centrifugation and on gel filtration on agarose.     

Isolation and renaturation of alpha 2-macroglobulin receptor from diploid human fibroblasts.

alpha 2-Macroglobulin receptor was extracted from human diploid fibroblasts and purified by affinity chromatography in a single step. The receptor had mol.wt. 125 000 after sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The isolated receptor was separated by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, transferred on to nitrocellulose sheets and subsequently renatured, as shown by a specific binding test, by incubation with Nonidet P40.     

Cystatin, a protein inhibitor of cysteine proteinases. Improved purification from egg white, characterization, and detection in chicken serum

The protein from chicken egg white that inhibits cysteine proteinases, and has been named 'cystatin', was purified by ovomucin precipitation, affinity chromatography on carboxymethylpapain-Sepharose and chromatofocusing. The final purification step separated two major forms of the protein (pI 6.5 and 5.6), with a total recovery of about 20% from egg white. By use of affinity chromatography and immunodiffusion it was shown that the inhibitor is also present at low concentrations in the serum of male and female chickens. Tryptic peptide maps of the separated forms 1 and 2 of egg-white cystatin were closely similar, and each form had the N-terminal sequence Ser-Glx-Asx. The two forms showed complete immunological identity, and neither contained carbohydrate. Ki values for the inhibition of cysteine proteinases were as follows: papain (less than 1 X 10(-11)M), cathepsin B (8 X 10(-10)M), cathepsin H (about 2 X 10(-8)M) and cathepsin L (about 3 X 10(-12)M). Some other cysteine proteinases, and several non-cysteine proteinases, were found not to be significantly inhibited by cystatin. The inhibition of the exopeptidase dipeptidyl peptidase I by cystatin was confirmed and the Ki found to be 2 X 10(-10)M. Inhibitor complexes with active cysteine proteinases and the inactive derivatives formed by treatment with iodoacetate, E-64 [L-trans-epoxysuccinylleucylamido(4-guanidino)butane] and benzyloxycarbonylphenylalanylalanyldiazomethane were demonstrated by isoelectric focusing and cation-exchange chromatography. The complexes dissociated in sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (with or without reduction) with no sign of fragmentation of the inhibitor. Cystatin was found not to contain a free thiol group, and there was no indication that disulphide exchange plays any part in the mechanism of inhibition.     

The purification of shikimate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli.

A procedure was developed for the purification of shikimate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli. Homogeneous enzyme with specific activity 1100 units/mg of protein was obtained in 21% overall yield. The subunit Mr estimated by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate was 32 000. The native Mr, estimated by gel-permeation chromatography on a TSK G2000SW column, was also 32 000. E. coli shikimate dehydrogenase is therefore a monomeric NADP-linked dehydrogenase.     

Aggregation equilibria of tyrosinase of Harding-Passey mouse melanoma.

The purification of two isoenzymes of tyrosinase has been carried out in Harding-Passey mouse melanoma. One is found in the cytosol and the other one bound to melanosomes. Both migrate as single bands on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gels, having an apparent Mr of 58 000. Solubilized particulate tyrosinase showed an aggregation equilibrium involving a monomer, tetramer, octamer and a high-Mr micellar form with Brij 35, the solubilizing agent. H.p.l.c. studies indicated a interconversion between those species, the monomer contribution increasing with the sample dilution. The tetramer and the octamer probably represent the predominant forms in vivo. Soluble tyrosinase showed a simpler aggregation equilibrium, involving two forms, monomer and tetramer, with the same interconversion pattern. Fluorescence studies suggested that tryptophan residues were exposed to the aqueous environment when tyrosinase was dissociated by dilution. Tyrosinase shows a tendency to aggregate, at low protein concentration, and a resistance to dissociation by urea or SDS so remarkable that gel-permeation chromatography in 4M-urea does not affect the equilibrium, and the band obtained on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis is a dimer.