N-terminal sequence extension in the glycosylated forms of human pancreatic stone protein. The 5-oxoproline N-terminal chain is O-glycosylated on the 5th amino acid residue

The pancreatic stone protein isolated from human calculi (PSP) derives from the immunoreactive protein forms detected in human pancreatic juice (PSP S2-5) through the tryptic cleavage of the Arg-11-Ile-12 bond. Among the eleven amino acids of the PSP S2-5 N-terminal extension Z-E-A-Q-T-E-L-P-Q-A-R, the first residue is an oxoproline and the fifth, a threonine, bears the single carbohydrate chain of the protein molecules. Variations in the glycan chain composition account for the differences in the Mr of PSP S2-5. The PSP S2-5 forms are very soluble in aqueous solutions between the pH values 5.0-9.0, whereas the proteolysated form is scarcely soluble.     

The human pancreatic stone protein

Chronic calcifying pancreatitis (CCP) is characterized by the presence of stones in pancreatic ducts. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is the main constituent of stones, to which is associated an organic matrix consisting primarily of one protein of Mr 14,000, the pancreatic stone protein or PSP. PSP is not present as such in pancreatic juice, but in polymorphic forms with higher molecular weights. These secretory forms (PSP S2-5, Mr 16-19,000) are synthesized in the acinar cells of the pancreas and secreted along the same secretory pathway as the exocrine enzymes. The heterogeneity of the forms of higher Mr (PSP S2-5) is probably due to different glycosylation patterns. PSP and PSP S1 are generated by the cleavage of an Arg-Ile bond in the N-terminal part of PSP S2-5. The N-terminal sequence of PSP (40 amino acids) is identical to that of PSP S1, whose complete sequence (133 amino acids) has been determined. Yet, the two proteins differ by their pI. Pancreatic juice is normally supersaturated in CaCO3, suggesting the presence of a stabilizer preventing CaCO3 precipitation. The PSP S could play that role, since an activity inhibiting the nucleation and growth in vitro of CaCO3 crystals was found in pancreatic juice, associated with these proteins. Moreover, PSP S concentration was significantly lower in the pancreatic juice of patients with CCP than in control patients. Proteins homologous to PSP S were also found in the dog, rat, swine, monkey and ox. They constitute a new family of pancreatic secretory proteins, whose biological role would be to maintain pancreatic juice in a stable state towards CaCO3.     

Degradation of Neurotensin by Rat Brain Synaptic Membranes: Involvement of a Thermolysin-Like Metalloendopeptidase (Enkephalinase), Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme, and Other Unidentified Peptidases

Neurotensin was inactivated by membrane-bound and soluble degrading activities present in purified preparations of rat brain synaptic membranes. Degradation products were identified by HPLC and amino acid analysis. The major points of cleavage of neurotensin were the Arg8-Arg9, Pro10-Tyr11, and Tyr11-Ile12 peptide bonds with the membrane-bound activity and the Arg8-Arg9 and Pro10-Tyr11 bonds with the soluble activity. Several lines of evidence indicated that the cleavage of the Arg8-Arg9 bond by the membrane-bound activity resulted mainly from the conversion of neurotensin1-10 to neurotensin1-8 by a dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase. In particular, captopril inhibited this cleavage with an IC50 (5.7 nM) close to its K1 (7 nM) for angiotensin-converting enzyme. Thiorphan inhibited the cleavage at the Tyr11-Ile12 bond by the membrane-bound activity with an IC50 (17 nM) similar to its K1 (4.7 nM) for enkephalinase. Both cleavages were inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline. These and other data suggested that angiotensin-converting enzyme and a thermolysin-like metalloendopeptidase (enkephalinase) were the membrane-bound peptidases responsible for cleavages at the Arg8-Arg9 and Tyr11-Ile12 bonds, respectively. In contrast, captopril had no effect on the cleavage at the Arg8-Arg9 bond by the soluble activity, indicating that the enzyme responsible for this cleavage was different from angiotensin-converting enzyme. The cleavage at the Pro10-Tyr11 bond by both the membrane-bound and the soluble activities appeared to be catalyzed by an endopeptidase different from known brain proline endopeptidases. The possibility is discussed that the enzymes described here participate in physiological mechanisms of neurotensin inactivation at the synaptic level.     

Partial amino acid sequence of human pancreatic stone protein, a novel pancreatic secretory protein.

Pancreatic stone protein (PSP) is the major organic component of human pancreatic stones. With the use of monoclonal antibody immunoadsorbents, five immunoreactive forms (PSP-S) with close Mr values (14,000-19,000) were isolated from normal pancreatic juice. By CM-Trisacryl M chromatography the lowest-Mr form (PSP-S1) was separated from the others and some of its molecular characteristics were investigated. The Mr of the PSP-S1 polypeptide chain calculated from the amino acid composition was about 16,100. The N-terminal sequences (40 residues) of PSP and PSP-S1 are identical, which suggests that the peptide backbone is the same for both of these polypeptides. The PSP-S1 sequence was determined up to residue 65 and was found to be different from all other known protein sequences.     

Characterization of pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 isolated from human pancreatic juice

Human pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 (HPLRP2) was identified for the first time in pancreatic juice using specific anti-peptide antibodies and purified to homogeneity. Antibodies were raised in the rabbit using a synthetic peptide from the HPLRP2 protein sequence deduced from cDNA. Western blotting analysis showed that these antibodies did not react with classical human pancreatic lipase (HPL) or human pancreatic lipase-related protein 1 (HPLRP1) but cross-reacted with native rat PLRP2 (RPLRP2), as well as with recombinant rat and guinea-pig PLRP2 (GPLRP2). Immunoaffinity chromatography was performed on immobilized anti-recombinant HPLRP2 polyclonal antibodies to purify native HPLRP2 after conventional chromatographic steps including gel filtration and chromatrography on an anion-exchanger. The substrate specificity of HPLRP2 was investigated using various triglycerides, phospholipids and galactolipids as substrates. The lipase activity on triglycerides was inhibited by bile salts and weakly restored by colipase. The phospholipase activity of HPLRP2 on phospholipid micelles was very low. A significant level of galactolipase activity was measured using monogalactosyldiglyceride monomolecular films. These data suggest that the main physiological function of HPLRP2 is the hydrolysis of galactolipids, which are the main lipids present in vegetable food.     

Monoclonal antibodies to pancreatic stone protein. Radioimmunoassay and immunological comparison with trypsin 1

Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against pancreatic stone protein, a protein which inhibits calcium carbonate precipitation. Two monoclonal antibodies designated D4 and 2E7 were characterized. Immunoadsorbant columns, obtained by linkage of these monoclonal antibodies to Affigel 10, have been used to isolate immunoreactive forms of pancreatic stone protein from nonactivated human pancreatic juice. These monoclonal antibodies permitted us to test the possible immunological relationship between pancreatic stone protein and human trypsin 1. No immunological similarity was found, in agreement with our previous results, and it was established that pancreatic stone protein is a novel protein and not a degradation product of human trypsin(ogen) 1.     

The pancreatic membrane protein GP-2 localizes specifically to secretory granules and is shed into the pancreatic juice as a protein aggregate

GP-2 is the major secretory granule membrane glycoprotein of the exocrine pancreas and appears in the pancreatic juice in a modified sedimentable form. We have localized GP-2 in the rat pancreas at the electron microscopic level using affinity-purified antibodies and found it to be concentrated in the zymogen granules and in the acinar lumen. Label was also present on the apical and basolateral plasma membranes but prior treatment of the sections with periodate to eliminate the contribution of highly antigenic oligosaccharide moieties reduced substantially the staining of the basolateral surface. Approximately 45% of the GP-2 in the granules was not membrane-associated but appeared instead in the granule lumen. Parallel biochemical characterization of GP-2 in isolated secretory granules demonstrated that 60% fractionated with the membranes after granule lysis while 40% remained in the content fraction. Unlike the membrane-associated form of the protein, which is linked to the membrane via glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI), GP-2 in the content did not enter the detergent phase upon Triton X-114 extraction; nor was it sedimentable at 200,000g, as is characteristic of the form collected in the pancreatic juice. In addition, GP-2 in the pancreatic juice was recovered in the aqueous phase during Triton X-114 extraction and yet remained sedimentable after detergent extraction, demonstrating that its ability to remain in large aggregates was independent of lipid. These results are consistent with a life cycle for the protein that begins with synthesis of a membrane-associated precursor that can be converted by lipolytic or proteolytic cleavage to a soluble form within the zymogen granule. Further modification to a sedimentable form may then occur in the pancreatic juice.     

Purification of a human milk protein closely similar to tumor-secreted phosphoproteins and osteopontin

A wide variety of rodent and human tumor cells secrete antigenically related phosphoproteins with molecular weights (Mr) of approximately 58,000 (hamster), 62,000 (rat, mouse), 67,000 (human) (Senger, D.R. and Perruzzi, C.A. (1985) Cancer Res. 45, 5818-5823). Expression of these phosphoproteins is transformation-related; tumor cells produce at least 10-fold or more of this protein as compared to their normal or untransformed counterparts. N-terminal and internal sequences derived from the rat tumor-secreted phosphoprotein indicate that it is identical to rat osteopontin, a bone protein with an Arg-Gly-Asp cell-binding sequence (Oldberg, A., Franzen, A. and Heinegard, D. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 8819-8823). Antibody raised to the Mr 62,000 rat tumor-secreted phosphoprotein was found to bind Mr 75,000 and Mr 35,000 components of human milk, indicating that milk contains antigenically related proteins. The Mr 75,000 protein, which is present in human milk at concentrations ranging from 3 to 10 micrograms/ml, has been purified to homogeneity. The Mr 35,000 component is apparently derived from the Mr 75,000 protein by proteolytic cleavage, and this cleavage also occurs in vitro in the presence of thrombin. N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences were derived from the Mr 75,000 milk protein and found to be similar (12/21 residues) to N-terminal and internal sequences derived from the rat tumor-secreted phosphoprotein and osteopontin. Moreover, sequence derived from the N-terminus of the human milk protein is identical to that of human bone sialoprotein I (the likely human homolog of rat osteopontin) (Fisher, L.W., Hawkins, G.R., Tuross, N. and Termine, J.D. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 9702-9708).     

Structural analysis of bovine pancreatic thread protein

Pancreatic thread protein (PTP) forms double helical threads in the neutralpH range after purification, undergoing freely reversible,pH-dependent globule-fibril transformation. The purified bovine PTP consists on SDS gels of two carbohydrate-free polypeptide chains (Grosset al., 1985). Plasma desorption mass spectrometry and amino acid sequence analysis now confirm that bovine PTP contains two disulfide-bonded polypeptides, an A chain of 101 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 11,073 and a B chain of 35 residues with a molecular weight of 3970. The intact protein exhibits a molecular weight of 15,036, agreeing >99.9% with the molecular weight calculated from the sequence. The B chain sequence was determined by gas-phase Edman degradation of the intact polypeptide. The A chain sequence was determined from overlapping peptides generated by cleavage at lysyl, tryptophanyl, and aspartyl-prolyl residues. Based upon the bovine PTP cDNA structure, the two chains of the protein result from cleavage of a single polypeptide with removal of a dipeptide between the NH₂-terminal A chain and COOH-terminal B chain. Comparison of bovine PTP with other proteins reveals significant structural relatedness with the single-chain homologues from human and rat pancreas and with the motif associated with Ca²⁺-dependent carbohydrate recognition domains. The physiological role of PTP has not yet been resolved. The protein is present in very high concentration in pancreatic secretion and it has been detected in brain lesions in Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome and in regenerating rat pancreatic islets. The present results provide a firm protein base for ongoing molecular, physical-chemical, and structure-function studies of this unusual protein.     

Proinsulin precursors in catfish pancreatic islets.

The purpose of these experiments was to determine whether insulin-related peptides, larger than proinsulin, could be detected in pancreatic islet cells. Catfish pancreatic islets were incubated with radiolabeled amino acids. After 15- to 60-min incubation, two acid-alcohol-extractable peptides, larger than proinsulin, were detected which were approximately of Mr = 12,000 and 11,000 (12 K and 11K, respectively). They migrated as single polypeptide chains by sodium dodecyl sulfate-urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions, and were therefore not aggregates of insulin or proinsulin. The 12 K protein had identical mobility with catfish preoproinsulin synthesized in a wheat germ cell-free system. On standard electrophoresis at pH 8.9, the 12 K protein migrated separately from proinsulin and was at least 65% one protein with two to three minor contaminants. The 12 K and 11 K proteins were chemically related to insulin and proinsulin as shown by tryptic peptide analysis, using cation exchange resin chromatography, and by two-dimensional tryptic peptide maps. Analysis of the tryptic digest of the 12 K protein, compared to proinsulin after leucine aminopeptidase treatment, suggested that the NH2 terminus of the larger protein was different from that of proinsulin. These peptides were specifically bound to anti-insulin antibody. The binding was only 5 to 8% of the protein added, but was specific for the 12 K and 11 K proteins when the immunoprecipitates were examined by electrophoresis and not from contaminating proinsulin. During the continuous incubation of the islets with [3H]leucine, 12 K and 11 K proteins were synthesized in the cell before proinsulin. When islets were first incubated with [3H]leucine for 30 min followed by incubation with excess unlabeled leucine, the 12 K and 11 K proteins appeared to show a precursor-product relationship to proinsulin and insulin. Even when total islet protein synthesis was inhibited by cycloheximide (100 microgram/ml), proinsulin continued to be synthesized for up to 2 h. This suggested that the conversion of the proinsulin precursors to proinsulin in the fish is a post-translational event.     

Regulated secretion of mature cathepsin B from rat exocrine pancreatic cells.

By indirect immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy with an antibody that recognizes specifically the two forms of native mature rat cathepsin B (31 kDa and 5:25 kDa) but not the proenzyme, we detected cathepsin B not only in lysosomes of adult rat exocrine pancreatic cells but also in the trans Golgi condensing vacuoles, the zymogen granules and the pancreatic juice in the intralobular ducts. In contrast, immunocytochemistry with an antibody specific for rat cathepsin D showed the latter to be present in the same cells only in lysosomal compartments as expected. The same pattern of labeling with these two antibodies was found in the first zymogen granules to form in 17-day-old fetal rat pancreas. Counts of the extent of immunogold labeling of cathepsin B in the adult exocrine cells showed that the concentration of the enzyme was only two-fold higher in the lysosomal compartments than in the zymogen granules. To confirm these observations, rat pancreatic postnuclear supernatant (PNS), a fraction enriched in zymogen granules and rat pancreatic juice obtained by catheterization of the pancreatic duct, were subjected to 2D gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting with the cathepsin B antibody. All three samples contained a 31 kDa protein recognized by the antibody with a pI of about 4.5, the single chain mature form of cathepsin B. We then radiolabeled pancreatic PNS and zymogen granule fractions with benzyloxycarbonyl-Tyr[125I]-Ala-CHN2, an affinity label that covalently binds to the active sites of mature forms of both cathepsin B and cathepsin L. In both PNS and zymogen granule fractions this reagent labeled cathepsin B. Immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the antibody to cathepsin B recognized specifically both the single chain and the double chain mature forms of cathepsin B in the native state. Finally, Northern blots with a cDNA of rat cathepsin B showed that the concentration of cathepsin B mRNA in total pancreatic RNA increased following in vivo stimulation of the exocrine pancreatic cells with optimal doses of cerulein, a cholecystokinin analogue. We conclude that significant amounts of mature cathepsin B are secreted from exocrine pancreatic cells via the apical regulated exocytotic pathway, and we discuss this in terms of models for sorting of proteins to the cores of dense cored secretory granules.     

Effect of size and location of the oligosaccharide chain on protease degradation of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease

We have investigated the effect of size and location of the oligosaccharide chain on protease degradation of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease. The sensitivity of nonglycosylated RNase A to trypsin and chymotrypsin was compared with three glycosylated species of RNase B which differed with respect to the size of the carbohydrate chain. Two forms of glycosylated RNase B were isolated by concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity chromatography, and each was shown to contain a single carbohydrate chain composed of GlcNAc2Man1 (RNase B") or GlcNAc2Man5-8 (RNase B). A third form (RNase B'), with oligosaccharide composed of GlcNAc2Man4, was prepared by partial digestion of RNase B with alpha-mannosidase. Fully glycosylated RNase B was found to be 6-10 times more resistant to trypsin digestion than nonglycosylated RNase A. RNase B' and B", with intermediate chain sizes, were 3.0- and 1.3-fold more resistant to trypsin digestion than RNase A, respectively. With chymotrypsin, however, differences in rates of digestion were much less marked, with a maximum difference of 3-fold between RNase A and B. In addition, we found that the specificity of the primary trypsin (Arg 33-Asp 34 bond) or chymotrypsin (Tyr 25-Cys 26 bond) cleavage site was not affected by the presence or size of the oligosaccharide chain. These results are consistent with the view that the size of the oligosaccharide chain and its proximity to the primary or rate-limiting cleavage site are important for expression of the carbohydrate protection against proteolytic degradation, which thus appears to be mediated by steric hindrance.     

Neurotensin-Metabolizing Peptidases in Rat Fundus Plasma Membranes

The mechanisms by which neurotensin (NT) was inactivated by rat fundus plasma membranes were characterized. Primary inactivating cleavages occurred at the Arg8-Arg9, Pro10-Tyr11, and Ile12-Leu13 peptidyl bonds. Hydrolysis at the Arg8-Arg9 bond was fully abolished by the use of N-[1(R,S)-carboxy-2-phenylethyl]-alanyl-alanyl-phenylalanine-p- aminobenzoate, a result indicating the involvement at this site of a recently purified soluble metallopeptidase. Hydrolysis of the Pro10-Tyr11 bond was totally resistant to N-benzyloxycarbonyl-prolyl-prolinal and thiorphan, an observation suggesting that the peptidase responsible for this cleavage was different from proline endopeptidase and endopeptidase 24.11 and might correspond to a NT-degrading neutral metallopeptidase recently isolated from rat brain synaptic membranes. The enzyme acting at the Ile12-Leu13 bond has not yet been identified. Secondary cleavages occurring on NT degradation products were mainly generated by bestatin-sensitive aminopeptidases and post-proline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase. The content in NT-metabolizing peptidases present in rat fundus plasma membranes is compared with that previously established for purified rat brain synaptic membranes.     

Agonist-regulated phosphorylation of the pancreatic cholecystokinin receptor

The present study was undertaken to determine if the cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor may be phosphorylated, and to gain insight into its regulation. For this, the ATP pool of rat pancreatic acini was prelabeled with 32P, and the cells were stimulated with various secretagogues. CCK receptors from treated cells were enriched by sequential fractionation to produce plasmalemma, and subsequent solubilization and lectin-affinity chromatography. This protocol detected a phosphorylated Mr = 85,000-95,000 plasma membrane glycoprotein with features similar to the CCK receptor. Phosphorylation of this protein occurred rapidly (less than 2 min) and in a concentration-dependent manner in response to CCK, and was inhibited by the CCK receptor antagonist L-364,718. Further evidence that this represented the CCK receptor included comigration of phosphorylated and CCK radioligand affinity-labeled proteins on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, both in native forms and after endoglycosidase F deglycosylation, and the specific adsorption of the phosphoprotein to a CCK analogue affinity resin. Phosphorylation occurred predominantly on serine residues of the receptor protein. Phosphorylation of this protein was also enhanced in response to other secretagogues which, like CCK, stimulate a cascade leading to protein kinase C activation, and in response to direct activation of this enzyme by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. Thus, the pancreatic CCK receptor is phosphorylated in a regulated manner, in response to both homologous and heterologous secretagogues, and to protein kinase C activation.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of human pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor

Arg-42 or Lys-43 or Arg-44 of human pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) was replaced by Thr or Ser by site-directed mutagenesis, and the inactivation rates of the mutants after mixing with human trypsin were compared with that of the natural form. The inactivation rate decreased for one mutant (Arg-44----Ser), whereas no change was observed for another (Arg-42----Thr) and an increase was observed for a third (Lys-43----Thr). Kinetic studies on the interactions between human trypsin and synthetic peptides, comprising the regions of Phe39-Ser47 of the respective PSTI species, showed that human trypsin cleaved the Arg42-Lys43 bond preferentially to the Arg44-Gln45 bond. However, it is cleavage of the latter bond that is thought to cause inactivation of human PSTI. These results suggest that the Arg44-Gln45 bond of human PSTI is responsible for its inhibitory activity, and inactivation of human PSTI is probably caused by deletion of the dipeptide Lys43-Arg44.     

Peptide-specific antibodies as probes of the orientation of the glucose transporter in the human erythrocyte membrane

Antibodies were raised in rabbits against synthetic peptides corresponding to the N-terminal (residues 1-15) and the C-terminal (residues 477-492) regions of the human erythrocyte glucose transporter. The antisera recognized the intact transporter in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and Western blots. In addition, the anti-C-terminal peptide antibodies were demonstrated, by competitive ELISA and by immunoadsorption experiments, to bind to the native transporter. Competitive ELISA, using intact erythrocytes, unsealed erythrocyte membranes, or membrane vesicles of known sidedness as competing antigen, showed that these antibodies bound only to the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane, indicating that the C terminus of the protein is exposed to the cytoplasm. On Western blots, the anti-N-terminal peptide antiserum labeled the glycosylated tryptic fragment of the transporter, of apparent Mr = 23,000-42,000, showing that this originates from the N-terminal half of the protein. The anti-C-terminal peptide antiserum labeled higher Mr precursors of the Mr = 18,000 tryptic fragment, although not the fragment itself, indicating that the latter, with its associated cytochalasin B binding site, is derived from the C-terminal half of the protein. Antiserum against the intact transporter recognized the C-terminal peptide on ELISA, and the Mr = 18,000 fragment but not the glycosylated tryptic fragment on Western blots.     

Ghrelin acts on the dorsal vagal complex to stimulate pancreatic protein secretion

Ghrelin receptors are present in the central nervous system. We hypothesized that ghrelin released from the stomach acts as an endocrine substance and stimulates brain stem vagovagal circuitry to evoke pancreatic secretion. In an in vivo anesthetized rat model, an intravenous infusion of ghrelin at doses of 5, 10, and 25 nmol increased pancreatic protein secretion from a basal level of 125 +/- 6 to 186 +/- 8, 295 +/- 12, and 356 +/- 11 mg/h, respectively. Pretreatment with atropine or hexamethonium or an acute vagotomy, but not a perivagal application of capsaicin, completely abolished pancreatic protein secretion responses to ghrelin. In conscious rats, an intravenous infusion of ghrelin at a dose of 10 nmol resulted in a 2.2-fold increase in pancreatic protein secretion over basal volume. Selective ablation of the area postrema abolished pancreatic protein secretion stimulated by intravenous infusion of ghrelin but did not alter the increase in pancreatic protein secretion evoked by diversion of bile-pancreatic juice. Immunohistochemical staining showed a marked increase in the number of c-Fos-expressing neurons in the area postrema, nucleus of the solitary tract, and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus after an intravenous infusion of ghrelin in sham-lesioned rats; selective ablation of the area postrema eliminated this increase. In conclusion, ghrelin stimulates pancreatic secretion via a vagal cholinergic efferent pathway. Circulating ghrelin gains access to the brain stem vagovagal circuitry via the area postrema, which represents the primary target on which peripheral ghrelin may act as an endocrine substance to stimulate pancreatic secretion.     

Characterization of lipocortin I and an immunologically unrelated 33-kDa protein as epidermal growth factor receptor/kinase substrates and phospholipase A2 inhibitors

Reversible calcium-dependent association with a particulate fraction from human placenta was used as the first step in the purification of substrates for the epidermal growth factor-stimulated protein kinase. A protein with apparent Mr of 35,000 was purified to homogeneity, and the sequence was determined for approximately one-fourth of the protein. These residues could be aligned exactly with the previously published sequence of lipocortin I derived from the cDNA from a human lymphoma. Two other proteins that appear to be formed by proteolytic removal of 12 or 26 of the amino acids from the NH2 terminus of the protein also were isolated. Placental lipocortin I was phosphorylated in Tyr-21 in an epidermal growth factor-dependent manner by the kinase activity in a particulate fraction from A431 cells; half-maximal phosphorylation occurred at 50 nM lipocortin I. Lipocortin I phosphorylated on Tyr-21 was approximately 10-fold more sensitive to tryptic cleavage at Lys-26 than was the native protein. Placental lipocortin I and its two truncated forms were potent inhibitors of pancreatic phospholipase A2 activity. Another 33-kDa protein that was not related immunologically to lipocortin I or lipocortin II (calpactin I) also was purified from the EGTA extract of placenta. The unidentified protein inhibited phospholipase A2 but was not a substrate for the epidermal growth factor-stimulated kinase. The mechanism by which these proteins inhibit phospholipase A2 activity was investigated. Attempts to detect direct interaction between these proteins and the enzyme were unsuccessful. However, both the unidentified protein, lipocortin I, and 32P-labeled lipocortin I bound in a Ca2+-dependent manner to the [3H]oleic acid-labeled Escherichia coli membranes used as substrate in the phospholipase A2 assay. Heparin, which is known to block lipocortin I inhibition of phospholipase A2, also blocked binding of lipocortin I to E. coli membranes. The results of these and other experiments raise the possibility that placental lipocortin I inhibits phospholipase A2 activity in this assay by coating the phospholipid and thereby blocking interaction of enzyme and substrate.     

The molecular characteristics of a human pancreatic acidic phosphoprotein that inhibits calcium carbonate crystal growth.

A CaCO3-crystal-growth inhibitor was isolated from human pancreatic stones by using EDTA demineralization, followed by DEAE-Trisacryl chromatography. The isolated inhibitor was found to be a phosphoglycoprotein with Mr 14017 and having an unusual chemical composition. It is characterized by a high (42%) acidic amino acid content, but lacks methionine and gamma-carboxyglutamic acid. The protein contains 2.65 mol of P/mol of protein, as phosphoserine (2 mol) and phosphothreonine (0.5 mol). Isoelectric focusing of the protein yields one major band corresponding to an isoelectric point of 4.2. Immunochemical quantification of the crystal-growth inhibitor in pure pancreatic juice reveals that it constitutes 14% of the normal exocrine secretion. Our findings demonstrate that this is a novel secretory protein, which has no enzymic activity and which maintains pancreatic juice in a supersaturated state with respect to CaCO3.     

Stepwise activation mechanisms of the precursor of matrix metalloproteinase 3 (stromelysin) by proteinases and (4-aminophenyl)mercuric acetate

The mechanisms of activation of the precursor of human matrix metalloproteinase 3 (proMMP-3/prostromelysin) by proteinases and (4-aminophenyl)mercuric acetate (APMA) were investigated by kinetic and sequence analyses. Incubation of proMMP-3 with neutrophil elastase, plasma kallikrein, plasmin, or chymotrypsin at 37 degrees C resulted in the formation of MMP-3 of Mr = 45,000 by cleaving of the His82-Phe83 bond. Since this bond is unlikely to be cleaved by these proteinases it was postulated that an initial attack of an activator proteinase on proMMP-3 creates an intermediate form, which is then processed to a more stable form of Mr = 45,000. To test this hypothesis proMMP-3 was incubated with these serine proteinases under conditions that minimize the action of MMP-3. This led to the accumulation of major intermediates of Mr = 53,000 and two minor forms of Mr = 49,000 and 47,000. The 53,000 Mr intermediate generated by human neutrophil elastase resulted from cleavage of the Val35-Arg36 whereas plasma kallikrein cleaved the Arg36-Arg37 and Lys38-Asp39 bonds and chymotrypsin the Phe34-Val35 bond, all of which are located near the middle of the propeptide. Conversion of these intermediates to the fully active 45,000 Mr form of MMP-3 resulted from a bimolecular reaction of the intermediates. A similar short-lived intermediate of Mr = 46,000 generated by APMA was a result of the intramolecular cleavage of the Glu68-Val69 bond, and it was then converted to a stable MMP-3 of Mr = 45,000 by a intermolecular reaction of MMP-3. However, MMP-3 failed to activate proMMP-3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)