慈菇蛋白酶抑制剂A和B中Trp残基周围构象与酶抑制专一性的关系

通过定点诱变结合荧光光谱学方法研究了慈菇蛋白酶抑制剂A和B(APIA和APIB)Trp残基周围构象与酶抑制专一性之间的关系。研究表明APIB中的两个Trp残基 (93和 12 2位 )所处环境的疏水性要比APIA中的强。Trp定点诱变研究表明 ,在APIB中 ,Trp12 2 周围环境的疏水性要比Trp93 强。用Ser和Leu分别替代 82位Leu和 87位Arg ,使APIB中色氨酸荧光特性变得与APIA的基本相同 ,同时还发现其酶的抑制专一性也变得趋近APIA的 ,暗示Trp周围的构象与酶抑制剂的抑制专一性有关。     

绿豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂的研究——Ⅷ.两个活性碎片的拆分

1.绿豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂有二个活性中心,可以同时抑制两分子胰蛋白酶。用苯乙二醛及顺丁烯二酸酐分别进行化学修饰,都可使其活力降低至原有的50%左右,表明此两活性中心分别应为精氨酸残基及赖氨酸残基。2.绿豆抑制剂经胃蛋白酶酶解后,活力不丧失,在凝胶过滤中出现分子量为原抑制剂一半的新活力峰,经证实为两个不同活性中心的活力碎片。3.利用两活性中心残基赖氨酸和精氨酸侧链基团解离pK 值的差异,在pH11.4的条件下通过固相胰蛋白酶亲和层析可将两活力碎片彼此分离。分离所得两碎片活力大致相等。4.以赖氨酸为活性中心的碎片能被顺丁烯二酸酐全部抑制失活,在pH3.5下保温却和原抑制剂一样能恢复其原有活力的90%以上。此活力碎片由两条肽链所组成,共含35个氨基酸残基,N-末端为丝氨酸和苯丙氨酸,两C-末端分别为亮氨酸及甲硫氨酸。5.以精氨酸为活性中心的碎片的活力能被苯乙二醛全部抑制,经鉴定为一条肽链,其含约27个氨基酸残基,N-末端为门冬酰胺,C-末端为门冬氨酸。     

慈菇中两种结晶的多功能蛋白酶抑制剂的研究

由于蛋白酶抑制剂在生理、生化、病理、药理上都占有很重要的地位,特别是具有多功能的蛋白酶抑制剂被广泛应用于临床,近年来愈来愈受到各方面的重视。本文报道了从慈菇中提取两种结晶的多功能蛋白酶抑制剂,它们都具有两个活力相等的活性中心,这与其他已知的同类型植物蛋白酶抑制剂不同,有它的特殊性。(1)_慈菇蛋白酶抑制剂A、B,除能抑制胰蛋白酶外,还能抑制胰凝乳蛋白酶及猪颌下腺的舒缓激肽释放酶。用酰胺、酯及蛋白等不同底物分别求出抑制剂A、B对胰蛋白酶的当量抑制比值及对胰凝乳蛋白酶的半抑制比值。两者对胰蛋白酶的抑制常数在10~(-9)～10~(-10)的范围内,抑制剂B对胰蛋白酶较之A有更大的结合力,但抑制剂A对胰凝乳蛋白酶及舒缓激肽释放酶较之B却有更明显的抑制活力。(2)_用葡聚糖凝胶过滤及聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分别测定抑制剂A、B的分子量均在17000左右。从抑制剂A、B对胰蛋白酶的当量抑制比值求得分子量为8500。这说明每一抑制剂分子中具有两个活力相等的活性中心。(3)_测定了抑制剂A、B的氨基酸组成,二者除碱性氮基酸及天冬氨酸含量略有差异外其余皆相同,各含有两对二硫键,非极性氨基酸含量较高约占60%左右。由氨基酸组成求得最小分子量约16500。(4)_用二硝基氟苯,二甲基氨基萘磺酰氯及氨呔酶M测定抑制剂A、B的N末端,都证实是天冬氨酸。     

绿豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂的研究——Ⅷ.两个活性碎片的拆分

1.绿豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂有二个活性中心,可以同时抑制两分子胰蛋白酶。用苯乙二醛及顺丁烯二酸酐分别进行化学修饰,都可使其活力降低至原有的50%左右,表明此两活性中心分别应为精氨酸残基及赖氨酸残基。2.绿豆抑制剂经胃蛋白酶酶解后,活力不丧失,在凝胶过滤中出现分子量为原抑制剂一半的新活力峰,经证实为两个不同活性中心的活力碎片。3.利用两活性中心残基赖氨酸和精氨酸侧链基团解离pK值的差异,在pH11.4的条件下通过固相胰蛋白酶亲和层析可将两活力碎片彼此分离。分离所得两碎片活力大致相等。4.以赖氨酸为活性中心的碎片能被顺丁烯二酸酐全部抑制失活,在pH3.5下保温却和原抑制剂一样能恢复其原有活力的90%以上。此活力碎片由两条肽链所组成,共含35个氨基酸残基,N-末端为丝氨酸和苯丙氨酸,两C-末端分别为亮氨酸及甲硫氨酸。5.以精氨酸为活性中心的碎片的活力能被苯乙二醛全部抑制,经鉴定为一条肽链,其含约27个氨基酸残基,N-末端为门冬酰胺,C-末端为门冬氨酸。     

绿僵菌分解昆虫外壳蛋白酶MAP-21的纯化与特性

以蝉蜕为底物诱导绿僵菌产生分解昆虫外壳蛋白酶 。发酵液经超滤、Ultrogel AcA 54凝胶层析、制备IEF电泳,纯化了一种蛋白酶MAP-21,SDS-PAGE电泳后经银染色呈单带。该酶的Mr为27kD左右,pI为76。它的特异识别氨基酸为Arg,其活性可被PMSF和TLCK抑制,表明其活性中心有Ser和His残基。它还可被胰蛋白酶的典型抑制剂Leupeptin、Antipain及STI等所抑制,而胰凝乳蛋白酶抑制剂TPCK和胰凝乳弹性蛋白酶抑制剂TEI对其活性无影响。专一底物和抑制剂特性试验结果表明MAP-21是类胰蛋白酶。此外,该酶还可被EDTA所抑制,表明金属离子为其活性所必需。另外还研究了MAP-21的最适作用温度和pH,以及温度耐受性等特性。     

转Bt基因抗虫玉米对亚洲玉米螟幼虫几种主要酶系活性的影响

研究了表达Cry1Ab杀虫蛋白的转Bt基因抗虫玉米对亚洲玉米螟Ostrinia furnacalis (uenée) 幼虫解毒酶、保护酶和中肠蛋白酶活性的影响,测定比较了取食转Bt基因玉米后幼虫体内α-乙酸萘酯酶、乙酰胆碱酯酶、谷胱甘肽S-转移酶、过氧化氢酶、超氧化物歧化酶、中肠总蛋白酶、类胰蛋白酶和类胰凝乳蛋白酶的活力。结果表明,取食转Bt基因玉米48 h后亚洲玉米螟幼虫体内的α-乙酸萘酯酶、谷胱甘肽S转移酶活力明显低于对照;而乙酰胆碱酯酶活力显著高于对照,在取食48 h、60 h和72 h的活力分别是对照的2.00、1.50和2.50倍。保护酶系、中肠总蛋白酶、弱碱性类胰蛋白酶和类胰凝乳蛋白酶的活性在取食48 h后明显受到抑制;但强碱性类胰蛋白酶的活性显著高于对照,取食48 h、60 h和72 h的活力分别是对照的4.00、1.67和1.33倍。乙酰胆碱酯酶和强碱性类胰蛋白酶可能与亚洲玉米螟对Bt的抗性有关。     

Cry2Ab及Cry1Ac杀虫蛋白对棉铃虫中肠蛋白酶活性的影响

为明确Cry2Ab和Cry1Ac2种Bt杀虫蛋白单用与混用对棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera（Htibner）中肠主要蛋白酶活性的影响,本文测定了取食含不同Bt蛋白人工饲料后棉铃虫中肠总蛋白酶、类胰蛋白酶和类胰凝乳蛋白酶活性的差异。结果发现：Cry2Ab处理12h后对棉铃虫中肠总蛋白酶影响不大;对类胰蛋白酶的影响最大,除最高浓度处理外,其他浓度处理后棉铃虫类胰蛋白酶的活性明显高于对照;但对类胰凝乳蛋白酶活性的影响呈倒“V”字型,只有6．67ug／gCry2Ab处理后的棉铃虫酶活力显著高于对照,其他浓度处理与对照差异不显著或略低于对照;随着取食含Cry2Ab饲料时间的增加,棉铃虫中肠类胰蛋白酶和类胰凝乳蛋白酶的活性比对照显著增加;与对照相比,处理36h后类胰蛋白酶活性最高可增加到6．43倍。Cry1Ac处理棉铃虫12h后总蛋白酶、类胰蛋白酶和类胰凝乳蛋白酶活性都明显增加,而且与处理浓度呈正相关;但是24h后,处理后棉铃虫的总蛋白酶和类胰凝乳蛋白酶活性明显降低,只有类胰蛋白酶活性仍高于对照,但活性增长倍数低于12h时的处理。Cru2Ab和Cry1Ac2种蛋白混用处理棉铃虫后,2种酶的酶活力基本低于Cry1Ac和Cry2Ab单用的酶活力之和;只有2种蛋白浓度均为2．22ug／g混用时,处理12h后类胰蛋白酶和类胰凝乳蛋白酶的活性高于2种蛋白单用时酶活力之和,且都显著的高于对照。     

三种鳞翅目幼虫肠道蛋白水解酶的活性

本工作以酪蛋白为底物,测定粘虫Mythimna separata Walker、棉铃虫Heliothis armigera Hubner和大蜡螟 Galleria mellonlla Linnaeus三种鳞翅目幼虫肠道蛋白水解酶的活性,并分别用BTEE和TAME为底物,测定了其中类胰凝乳蛋白酶和类胰蛋白酶的活性.结果表明:三种幼虫肠道都含有类胰凝乳蛋白酶和类胰蛋白酶.抑制剂TPCK可以部分地抑制类胰凝乳蛋白酶的活性,而胰酶抑制剂则显著地抑制类胰蛋白酶的活性.     

从半夏中提取的胰蛋白酶抑制剂及其特征

应用硫酸铵分级、无离子水沉淀、2.5%TCA处理、DEAE-Sephadex A-50离子交换层析以及胰蛋白酶-琼脂糖凝胶亲和层析,从植物半夏新鲜块茎中分离纯化到一种胰蛋白酶抑制剂。半夏抑制剂只抑制胰蛋白酶对酰胺、酯、血红蛋白和酪蛋白的水解,不能抑制胰凝乳蛋白酶、舒缓激肽释放酶、枯草杆菌蛋白酶和木瓜蛋白酶对各自底物的水解。抑制剂对猪胰蛋白酶水解酰胺、酯、血红蛋白和酪蛋白的重量抑制比值分别为1∶0.71、1∶0.88、1∶0.71和1∶0.71。从分子大小的范围看,半夏胰蛋白酶抑制剂应属大分子抑制剂。     

马铃薯蛋白酶抑制因子特性的研究

本文研究了马铃薯蛋白酶抑制因子的稳定性及其对胰蛋白酶和胰凝乳蛋白梅的抑制能力,结果表明：该抑制因子对胰蛋白酶活性的抑制作用较弱,最大抑制程度为65％;对胰凝乳蛋白酶活性的抑制作用较强,抑制程度最高可达95％以上,并且,它对pH及温度的变化均具有较强的稳定性。     

Reactive sites of the 21-kD protein inhibitor of serine proteinases from potato tubers.

The effect of modifications of Met, Arg, and Lys residues on the inhibitory activity of a serine proteinase-inhibiting 21-kD protein from potato tubers has been studied. The data indicate that the 21-kD protein has two independent reactive sites for human leukocyte elastase (or chymotrypsin) and trypsin. It is concluded that the 21-kD inhibitor has Met and Arg residues in the P1 position of the reactive sites responsible for interactions with elastase (or chymotrypsin) and trypsin. It is shown that the 21-kD protein is capable of forming a triple complex binding simultaneously one molecule of trypsin and one molecule of chymotrypsin.     

Effects of amino acid replacements around the reactive site of chicken ovomucoid domain 3 on the inhibitory activity toward chymotrypsin and trypsin.

We have previously shown that replacing the P1-site residue (Ala) of chicken ovomucoid domain 3 (OMCHI3) with a Met or Lys results in the acquisition of inhibitory activity toward chymotrypsin or trypsin, respectively. However, the inhibitory activities thus induced are not strong. In the present study, we introduced additional amino acid replacements around the reactive site to try to make the P1-site mutants more effective inhibitors of chymotrypsin or trypsin. The amino acid replacement Asp-->Tyr at the P2' site of OMCHI3(P1Met) resulted in conversion to a 35000-fold more effective inhibitor of chymotrypsin with an inhibitor constant (K(i)) of 1. 17x10(-11) M. The K(i) value of OMCHI3(P1Met, P2'Ala) indicated that the effect on the interaction with chymotrypsin of removing a negative charge from the P2' site was greater than that of introducing an aromatic ring. Similarly, enhanced inhibition of trypsin was observed when the Asp-->Tyr replacement was introduced into the P2' site of OMCHI3(P1Lys). Two additional replacements, Asp-->Ala at the P4 site and Arg-->Ala at the P3' site, made the mutant a more effective inhibitor of trypsin with a K(i) value of 1. 44x10(-9) M. By contrast, Arg-->Ala replacement at the P3' site of OMCHI3(P1Met, P2'Tyr) resulted in a greatly reduced inhibition of chymotrypsin, and Asp-->Ala replacement at the P4 site produced only a small change when compared with a natural variant of OMCHI3. These results clearly indicate that not only the P1-site residue but also the characteristics, particularly the electrostatic properties, of the amino acid residues around the reactive site of the protease inhibitor determine the strength of its interactions with proteases. Furthermore, amino acids with different characteristics are required around the reactive site for strong inhibition of chymotrypsin and trypsin.     

Chymotrypsin inhibitory activity of normal C1-inhibitor and a P1 Arg to His mutant: evidence for the presence of overlapping reactive centers.

C1-inhibitor is a serine proteinase inhibitor that is active against C1s, C1r, kallikrein, and factor XII. Recently, it has been shown that it also has inhibitory activity against chymotrypsin. We have investigated this activity of normal human C1-inhibitor, normal rabbit C1-inhibitor, and P1 Arg to His mutant human C1-inhibitors and find that all are able to inhibit chymotrypsin and form stable sodium dodecyl sulfate-resistant complexes. The Kass values show that the P1 His mutant is a slightly better inhibitor of chymotrypsin than normal human C1-inhibitor (3.4 x 10(4) compared with 7.3 x 10(3)). The carboxy-terminal peptide of normal human C1-inhibitor, derived from the dissociated protease-inhibitor complex, shows cleavage between the P2 and P1 residues. Therefore, as with alpha 2-antiplasmin, C1-inhibitor possesses two overlapping P1 residues, one for chymotrypsin and the other for Arg-specific proteinases. In contrast, with the P1 His mutant, the peptide generated from the dissociation of its complex with chymotrypsin demonstrated cleavage between the P1 and P'1 residues. Therefore, unlike alpha 2-antiplasmin, chymotrypsin utilizes the P2 residue as its reactive site in normal C1-inhibitor but utilizes the P1 residue as its reactive site in the P1 His mutant protein. This suggests that the reactive center loop allows a degree of induced fit and therefore must be relatively flexible.     

Changing the inhibitory specificity and function of the proteinase inhibitor eglin c by site-directed mutagenesis: functional and structural investigation.

Amino acids in the serine proteinase inhibitor eglin c important for its inhibitory specificity and activity have been investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. The specificity of eglin c could be changed from elastase to trypsin inhibition by the point mutation Leu45----Arg (L45R) in position P1 [nomenclature according to Schechter and Berger (1967) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 27, 157-162]. Model building studies based on the crystal structure of mutant L45R [Heinz et al. (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 217, 353-371] were used to rationalize this specificity change. Surprisingly, the double mutant L45R/D46S was found to be a substrate of trypsin and various other serine proteinases. Multidimensional NMR studies show that wild-type eglin c and the double mutant have virtually identical conformations. In the double mutant L45R/D46S, however, the N-H bond vector of the scissile peptide bond shows a much higher mobility, indicating that the internal rigidity of the binding loop is significantly weakened due to the loss or destabilization of the internal hydrogen bond of the P1' residue. Mutant T44P was constructed to examine the role of a proline in position P2, which is frequently found in serine proteinase inhibitors [Laskowski and Kato (1980) Annu. Rev. Biochem. 49, 593-626]. The mutant remains a potent elastase inhibitor but no longer inhibits subtilisin, which could be explained by model building. Both Arg51 and Arg53, located in the core of the molecule and participating in the hydrogen bonding network with residues in the binding loop to maintain rigidity around the scissile bond, were individually replaced with the shorter but equally charged amino acid lysine. Both mutants showed a decrease in their inhibitory potential. The crystal structure of mutant R53K revealed the loss of two hydrogen bonds between the core and the binding loop of the inhibitor, which are partially restored by a solvent molecule, leading to a decrease in inhibition of elastase by 2 orders of magnitude.     

Localization of epsilon-lysyl-gamma-glutamyl cross-links in five human alpha 2-macroglobulin-proteinase complexes. Nature of the high molecular weight cross-linked products.

Covalent binding of proteinases by human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) results primarily from the formation of stable epsilon-Lys-gamma-Glu isopeptide bonds. Cross-linking engages 12, 13, and 10 of the 14, 14, and 11 Lys residues in chymotrypsin, trypsin, and subtilisin, respectively, and reaction with the alpha-amino group of the C-chain of chymotrypsin and the B-chain of beta-trypsin is also seen. In contrast, cross-linking engages only 6 of the 11 Lys residues in thermolysin. In each of these proteinases, a few residues react to the greatest extent: Lys36, Lys79, Lys87, and Lys93 in chymotrypsin; Lys87, Lys109, Lys222, and Lys239 in trypsin; Lys12, Lys43, and Lys141 in subtilisin; and Lys210 and Lys219 in thermolysin. In elastase, 1 of the 3 Lys residues (Lys87) is tentatively identified as being cross-linked. Formation of unstable bonds judged to be mainly p-tyrosyl-gamma-glutamyl esters can also be significant for some proteinases. In each of the proteinases, several of the strongly reacting Lys residues are located relatively close to each other, presumably reflecting steric constraints within the alpha 2M-proteinase complexes as they form. Proteinases are covalently bound to alpha 2M to one or two of its COOH-terminal bait region-cleaved half-subunits. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis pattern of the high molecular weight cross-linked species indicates that binding of a proteinase through two cross-links occurs not only within the 360-kDa disulfide-bridged alpha 2M dimer but also between the two dimers in the alpha 2M tetramer.     

Kinetics of beta-casein hydrolysis by wild-type and engineered trypsin

Apparent rate constants of tryptic hydrolysis of amide bonds containing Arg and Lys residues in beta-casein were determined by the analysis of kinetics of accumulation of 17 major peptide components revealed by high performance liquid chromatography. When studying pH influence on Arg/Lys bond cleavage preference, averaged rate constants over several Arg&bond;X and Lys&bond;X bonds were used for analysis of kinetics of wild-type trypsin, K188H, K188F, K188Y, K188W, and of K188D/D189K mutants. The pK(a1) value of 6.5 was found for all studied trypsins. For wild-type trypsin and its K188D/D189K mutant, pK(a2) was found to be 10. The lowest among studied engineered trypsins pK(a2) = 9.3 was determined for K188Y mutant. Considerable preference for the cleavage of Arg over Lys containing peptide bonds was demonstrated for all trypsins with engineered S2 site except for K188H and K188F. The comparison of individual rate constants for various bonds showed that during the hydrolysis by wild-type trypsin, the probabilities of splitting depend on secondary specificity and local hydrophobicity of amino acid residues, which are nearest to the hydrolyzed peptide bond (P2 site). The improvement of prediction of hydrolysis rates performed by the used program was achieved after considering the presence of hydrophobic neighborhood of Lys48--Ile49 and Arg202--Gly203 bonds.     

The region from phenylalanine-17 to phenylalanine-28 of a yeast mitochondrial ATPase inhibitor is essential for its ATPase inhibitory activity.

Mitochondrial ATP synthase (F(1)F(o)-ATPase) is regulated by an intrinsic ATPase inhibitor protein. In the present study, we investigated the structure-function relationship of the yeast ATPase inhibitor by amino acid replacement. A total of 22 mutants were isolated and characterized. Five mutants (F17S, R20G, R22G, E25A, and F28S) were entirely inactive, indicating that the residues, Phe17, Arg20, Arg22, Glu25, and Phe28, are essential for the ATPase inhibitory activity of the protein. The activity of 7 mutants (A23G, R30G, R32G, Q36G, L37G, L40S, and L44G) decreased, indicating that the residues, Ala23, Arg30, Arg32, Gln36, Leu37, Leu40, and Leu44, are also involved in the activity. Three mutants, V29G, K34Q, and K41Q, retained normal activity at pH 6.5, but were less active at pH 7.2, indicating that the residues, Val29, Lys34, and Lys41, are required for the protein's action at higher pH. The effects of 6 mutants (D26A, E35V, H39N, H39R, K46Q, and K49Q) were slight or undetectable, and the residues Asp26, Glu35, His39, Lys46, and Lys49 thus appear to be dispensable. The mutant E21A retained normal ATPase inhibitory activity but lacked pH-sensitivity. Competition experiments suggested that the 5 inactivated mutants (F17S, R20G, R22G, E25A, and F28S) could still bind to the inhibitory site on F(1)F(o)-ATPase. These results show that the region from the position 17 to 28 of the yeast inhibitor is the most important for its activity and is required for the inhibition of F(1), rather than binding to the enzyme.     

The ways of realization of high specificity and efficiency of enteropeptidase

Comparative substrate analysis of full-length bovine enteropeptidase and trypsin, bovine and human enteropeptidase light chains was performed using model N-terminal dodecapeptides corresponding to wild-type human trypsinogen and pancreatitis-associated mutant trypsinogens K23R and D22G. The substitution of Lys residue by Arg at P1 leads to 2-fold increase in the efficiency of enteropeptidase hydrolysis; the absence of the negatively charged residue at P2 reduces the efficiency of such hydrolysis by two orders of magnitude. The difference in efficiency of peptide chain hydrolysis after Lys/Arg residues by enteropeptidase compared to trypsin is equal to the difference in hydrolysis by serine proteases of different primary specificity of their specific substrates.     

Roles of the P1, P2, and P3 residues in determining inhibitory specificity of kallistatin toward human tissue kallikrein

Kallistatin is a serpin with a unique P1 Phe, which confers an excellent inhibitory specificity toward tissue kallikrein. In this study, we investigated the P3-P2-P1 residues (residues 386-388) of human kallistatin in determining inhibitory specificity toward human tissue kallikrein by site-directed mutagenesis and molecular modeling. Human kallistatin mutants with 19 different amino acid substitutions at each P1, P2, or P3 residue were created and purified to compare their kallikrein binding activity. Complex formation assay showed that P1 Arg, P1 Phe (wild type), P1 Lys, P1 Tyr, P1 Met, and P1 Leu display significant binding activity with tissue kallikrein among the P1 variants. Kinetic analysis showed the inhibitory activities of the P1 mutants toward tissue kallikrein in the order of P1 Arg > P1 Phe > P1 Lys >/= P1 Tyr > P1 Leu >/= P1 Met. P1 Phe displays a better selectivity for human tissue kallikrein than P1 Arg, since P1 Arg also inhibits several other serine proteinases. Heparin distinguishes the inhibitory specificity of kallistatin toward kallikrein versus chymotrypsin. For the P2 and P3 variants, the mutants with hydrophobic and bulky amino acids at P2 and basic amino acids at P3 display better binding activity with tissue kallikrein. The inhibitory activities of these mutants toward tissue kallikrein are in the order of P2 Phe (wild type) > P2 Leu > P2 Trp > P2 Met and P3 Arg > P3 Lys (wild type). Molecular modeling of the reactive center loop of kallistatin bound to the reactive crevice of tissue kallikrein indicated that the P2 residue required a long and bulky hydrophobic side chain to reach and fill the hydrophobic S2 cleft generated by Tyr(99) and Trp(219) of tissue kallikrein. Basic amino acids at P3 could stabilize complex formation by forming electrostatic interaction with Asp(98J) and hydrogen bond with Gln(174) of tissue kallikrein. Our results indicate that tissue kallikrein is a specific target proteinase for kallistatin.