Purification and characterization of a novel alkaline serine protease secreted by Vibrio metschnikovii

A novel extracellular alkaline serine protease secreted by Vibrio metschnikovii (V. metschnikovii) ATCC700040 cells was purified by three chromatographic steps and characterized in terms of enzymatic kinetics and substrate specificity. The purified enzyme (named AKP-Vm) was composed of a single polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 50 kDa on 12% SDS-polyacrylamide gel in the presence of CuCl?. The optimal temperature and the pH for the enzyme were found to be 37?C and 9.5, respectively. However, the enzyme activity was inhibited by inhibitors such as PMSF and aprotinin. AKP-Vm could hydrolyze a peptide bond at the carboxyl side of the arginine residue, as revealed by its amidolytic activity toward a chromogenic substrate, Boc-Val-Pro-Arg-pNA. The kinetic parameters of the enzyme were as follows: KM=0.91 mM, kcat=0.8 sec?1 and kcat/KM=0.88 mM?1sec?1. AKP-Vm protease could cleave various blood coagulation-associated proteins, including fibrinogen, prothrombin and thrombin. In particular, the enzyme showed powerful fibrinogenolytic and fibrinolytic activities, as it could cleave all major chains of fibrinogen and also digest cross-linked fibrin. The results obtained suggest that AKP-Vm is a novel alkaline serine protease that can actively cleave fibrinogen and cross-linked fibrin.     

Purification and characterization of a 315 kDa keratinolytic subtilisin-like serine protease from Microsporum canis and evidence of its secretion in naturally infected cats.

A keratinolytic protease, secreted as the major component by a feline clinical isolate of Microsporum canis cultivated in a minimal medium containing cat keratin, was purified by affinity chromatography on bacitracin agarose and gel filtration. The apparent molecular mass of the enzyme was 31.5 kDa and the pI was 11.8. The enzyme was not glycosylated and its first 15 N-terminal amino acids showed numerous similarities with other fungal subtilisins. The optimum pH was around 9 while inactivation of the enzyme was reversible at pH 4, but not at pH 11. The enzyme was stable at 37 degrees C with an apparent optimum temperature around 55 degrees C. PMSF, soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) and chymostatin strongly inhibited the proteinase. The highest affinity (Km of 0.37 mM) and physiological efficiency (k(cat)/Km) were obtained for the synthetic substrate N-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide. These results indicate that the keratinase belongs to the subtilisin-like serine protease family. Purified rabbit immunoglobulins G prepared against the keratinase and used in an immunohistochemical test allowed the detection of the keratinase produced by the fungus invading hair structures in naturally infected cats. The in vitro keratinolytic activity of the enzyme and its production in vivo suggest that it may contribute to pathogenicity.     

Purification and characterisation of a trypsin-like serine oligopeptidase from Trypanosoma congolense.

Trypanosoma brucei contain a serine oligopeptidase (OP-Tb) that is released into (and remains active in) the blood of trypanosome-infected animals. Here a similar enzyme from Trypanosoma congolense is described. This oligopeptidase, called OP-Tc, was purified using three-phase partitioning, and ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. OP-Tc is inhibited by alkylating agents, by serine peptidase-specific inhibitors including 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin, 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonylfluoride and diispropylfluoro-phosphate and by other peptidase inhibitors including leupeptin, antipain and peptidyl chloromethyl ketones. Reducing agents such as dithiothreitol enhanced activity as did heparin, spermine and spermidine. The enzyme has trypsin-like specificity since it cleaved fluorogenic peptides that have basic amino acid residues (Arg or Lys) in the P1 position. Potential substrates without a basic residue in P1 were not hydrolysed. Although OP-Tc has weak arginine aminopeptidase activity, the enzyme clearly preferred substrates that had amino acids in the P2 and P3 positions. Overall, OP-Tc appears to be less efficient than OP-Tb because it usually displayed lower k(cat)/Km values for the substrates tested. However, like OP-Tb, the best substrate for OP-Tc was Cbz-Arg-Arg-AMC (Km = 0.72 microM, k(cat) = 96 s(-1)). OP-Tc preference for amino acids in the P2 position was (Gly,Lys,Arg) > Phe > Leu > Pro. The results also suggest that the P3-binding site has hydrophobic characteristics. OP-Tc may not be a naturally immunodominant molecule because neither IgG nor IgM anti- OP-Tc antibodies were detected in the blood of experimentally infected cattle.     

Characterization of a lysosomal serine carboxypeptidase from Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosoma cruzi, the flagellate protozoan which is the causative agent of the American trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease has carboxypeptidase activity. The enzyme has been purified to protein homogeneity, and shown to be a lysosomal monomeric glycoprotein with a molecular mass of about 54kDa. The enzyme has an optimum acidic pH (4.5 with furyl acryloyl-Phe-Phe as substrate), is highly specific for hydrophobic C-terminal amino acid residues, and is strongly inhibited by 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin (IC(50) value 0.3 microM). The enzyme is encoded by a number of genes arrayed in head-to-tail tandems; one of these genes has been cloned and sequenced. Sequence comparisons indicate that the enzyme belongs to the C group of serine carboxypeptidases, within the S10 serine peptidase family, and shows the higher similarity to plant and yeast enzymes. The residues involved in catalysis and most of those involved in substrate binding are conserved in the T. cruzi enzyme as well as 8 out of 10 Cys residues known to be involved in disulfide bridges in the yeast enzyme. This is the first report of an S10 family enzyme in trypanosomatids. The presence of serine carboxypeptidases is not restricted to T. cruzi, being possibly a general character of trypanosomatids.     

Recombinant expression and enzymatic subsite characterization of plasmepsin 4 from the four Plasmodium species infecting man

Plasmepsin 4 from Plasmodium falciparum and orthologs from Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium vivax have been expressed in recombinant form, and properties of the active site of each enzyme characterized by kinetic analysis. A panel of chromogenic peptide substrates systematically substituted at the P3, P2, P2' and P3' positions was used to estimate enzyme/ligand interactions in the corresponding enzyme subsites based upon kinetic data. The kinetic parameters kcat, Km and kcat/Km were measured to identify optimal substrates for each enzyme and also sequences that were readily cleaved by the plasmepsins but poorly by host aspartic peptidases. Computer generated models were utilized to compare enzyme structures and interpret kinetic results. The orthologous plasmepsins share highly similar subsite specificities. In the S3 and S2 subsites, the plasmepsin 4 orthologs all preferred hydrophobic amino acid residues, Phe or Ile, but rejected charged residues such as Lys or Asp. In S2' and S3' subsites, these plasmepsins tolerated both hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues. Subsite specificities of the plasmepsin 4 family of orthologs are similar to those of human cathepsins D and E, except in S3' where the plasmepsins accept substrates containing Ser significantly better than either of these human aspartic proteases. Peptidomimetic methyleneamino reduced-peptide inhibitors, which have inhibition constants in the picomolar range, were prepared for each plasmepsin 4 ortholog based upon substrate preferences. A peptidomimetic inhibitor designed for plasmepsin 4 from P. falciparum having Ser in P3' had the lowest Ki of the series of inhibitors prepared, but did not significantly improve the selectivity of the inhibitor for plasmepsin 4 versus human cathepsin D.     

Purification and characterization of polyphosphate kinase from Neisseria meningitidis.

The important human pathogens Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae accumulate phosphate in the form of polyphosphate (A. Noegel and E. C. Gotschlich, J. Exp. Med. 157:2049-2060, 1983), and the localization of more than half of this long-chain polymer on the exterior of the cells suggests a function as a protective, capsule-like coating. To enable further genetic investigation of the role of polyphosphate in Neisseria spp., the enzyme polyphosphate kinase (PPK), which catalyzes the synthesis of polyphosphate from ATP, was purified from N. meningitidis BNCV. The activity is dependent on Mg2+ and phosphate or polyphosphate and is inhibited by ADP. The Km for ATP is 1.5 mM, and the turnover number is 47 phosphate residues per polypeptide per s. Analysis of PPK labelled with [gamma-32P]ATP indicates that the enzyme is phosphorylated during the reaction, probably at an arginine residue. N-terminal and two internal amino acid sequences were derived from the purified protein and will allow the design of synthetic oligonucleotides for cloning and genetic manipulation of the ppk gene.     

Molecular cloning of the carboxylesterase gene and biochemical characterization of the encoded protein from Pseudomonas citronellolis ATCC 13674

A genomic library of Pseudomonas citronellolis ATCC 13674 was constructed and screened for esterase activity in Escherichia coli using tributyrin-containing medium. One positive transformant was isolated, and subsequent analyses of the plasmid by restriction mapping revealed a 4.1-kb DNA fragment potentially carrying an esterase gene. The deduced nucleotide sequence of the DNA was found to contain an open reading frame encoding carboxylesterase and designated estA. Amino acid sequence analysis of estA showed the serine conservative motif, GDSAG, located between residues 208 and 212. Together with Ser, residues 310 and 334 corresponding to aspartic acid and histidine, respectively, comprised the catalytic triad. With the aid of immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography, the carboxylesterase fused with poly His at its C-terminus was purified and shown to be strongly inhibited by the tryptophan modifier and mercuric ion, indicating the important role of conservative Trp (189) and cysteine (152 and/or 183) residues in maintaining the structural integrity of the protein. Further analyses showed that the carboxylesterase functioned optimally at 37-40 degrees C with pH ranging between 8 and 9 and displayed a broad substrate spectrum. The protein exhibited greater preference toward short-chain (C2-C4) than medium- and long-chain fatty acids. Higher substrate specificity on para-nitrophenol butyrate was observed in comparison with para-nitrophenol acetate as indicated by the higher kcat/Km value of the former.     

Characterization of the Helicobacter pylori urease and purification of its subunits.

Helicobacter pylori (formerly Campylobacter pylori) is the causative agent of gastritis in man. Helicobacter pylori cells contain a large amount of an extremely active urease (E.C.3.5.1.5). This enzyme is suspected to be a virulence factor since the ammonium ion produced from urea may be responsible for tissue injury and/or survival of H. pylori in the gastric environment. Helicobacter pylori urease, native relative molecular mass approximately 600,000, was purified by agarose gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. DEAE-purified urease is highly active and has a Km of 0.48 mM for urea. The enzyme has a pI of 5.93 and is active from pH 4.0 to 10.0, with an optimum at pH 8.0. The purified urease contains nickel and is composed of two protein subunits, with relative molecular masses of 66,000 and 31,000. The subunits were separated and purified and the first 30 N-terminal amino acid residues were determined. A remarkably close relationship was found between both H. pylori urease subunits and jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) urease, the subunit of which is a single 840 amino acid polypeptide. This subunit is also largely identical to the high molecular mass subunits of the ureases of Klebsiella aerogenes and Proteus mirabilis, evidence that these four ureases are derived from a common ancestral protein.     

Purification and characterization of an inducible L-lysine: 2-oxoglutarate 6-aminotransferase from Candida utilis.

L-Lysine:2-oxoglutarate 6-aminotransferase (EC 2.1.6.36) was purified 202-fold from the yeast Candida utilis. The subunit Mr estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 40 kDa. The Mr of the native enzyme was estimated to be 83 kDa by gel filtration, suggesting a dimeric structure. The enzyme exhibits absorption maxima at 280, 340 and 420 nm, and binds 2 mol pyridoxal-5-phosphate/mol of the native enzyme. The aminotransferase has a maximum activity at pH 8.5 and at 4 degrees C. 2-Oxoglutarate is the best amino acceptor with L-lysine as amino donor. Lower activity is observed with oxaloacetate (38%), pyruvate (19%) and 2-oxoadipate (7%) as acceptor or with L-thialysine (13%) as donor. The Km values are 2.5 mM for L-lysine, 3.8 mM for 2-oxoglutarate and 0.015 mM for pyridoxal-5-phosphate. The enzyme activity is induced in cells grown in the presence of L-lysine.     

cDNA cloning, biological and immunological characterization of the alkaline serine protease major allergen from Penicillium chrysogenum

BACKGROUND: Penicillium chrysogenum (Penicillium notatum) is a prevalent airborne Penicillium species. A 34-kD major IgE-reacting component from P. chrysogenum has been identified as an alkaline serine protease (Pen ch 13, also known as Pen n 13 before) by immunoblot and N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. METHODS: In the present study, Pen ch 13 was further characterized in terms of cDNA cloning, protein purification, enzymatic activity, histamine release and IgE cross-reactivity with alkaline serine protease allergens from two other prevalent fungal species--P. citrinum (Pen c 13) and Aspergillus flavus (Asp fl 13). RESULTS: A 1,478-bp cDNA (Pen ch 13) that encodes a 398-amino-acid alkaline serine protease from P. chrysogenum was isolated. This fungal protease has pre- and pro-enzyme sequences. The previously determined N-terminal amino acid sequence of the P. chrysogenum 34-kD major allergen is identical to that of residues 116-125 of the cDNA. Starting from Ala116, the deduced amino acid sequence (283 residues) of the mature alkaline serine protease has a calculated molecular mass of 28.105 kD with two cysteines and two putative N-glycosylation sites. It has 83 and 49% sequence identity with the alkaline serine proteases from P. citrinum and A. fumigatus, respectively. The recombinant Pen ch 13 was recovered from inclusion bodies and isolated under denaturing condition. This recombinant protein reacted with IgE antibodies in serum from an asthmatic patient and with monoclonal antibodies (PCM8, PCM10, PCM39) that reacted with the 34-kD component from P. chrysogenum. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified native Pen ch 13 is identical to that determined previously for the 34-kD major allergen in crude P. chrysogenum extracts. The purified native Pen ch 13 has proteolytic activity with casein as the substrate at pH 8.0. This enzymatic activity was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride or diethylpyrocarbonate. Pen ch 13 was also able to degrade gelatin and collagen but not elastin. Basophils from 5 asthmatic patients released histamine (12-73%) when exposed to the purified Pen ch 13. In ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) experiments, IgE for Pen ch 13 was able to compete with purified Pen ch 13, Pen c 13 or Asp fl 13 in a dose-related manner. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that the 34-kD major allergen of P. chrysogenum is an alkaline serine protease. These results also indicated that atopic patients primarily sensitized by either of these prevalent fungal species may develop allergic symptoms by exposure to other environmental fungi due to cross-reacting IgE antibodies against this protease.     

Synthetic peptide substrates for the immunoglobulin A1 protease from Neisseria gonorrhoeae (type 2).

Neisseria gonorrhoeae secretes protease which inactive human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) by cleavage of specific peptide bonds in the hinge region. The type 2 IgA1 protease (EC 3.4.24.13) is secreted as a 169-kDa precursor which undergoes autoproteolysis at three sites (A, B, and C) to release the 106-kDa active form of the enzyme (J. Pohlner, R. Halter, K. Beyreuther, and T. F. Meyer. Nature [London] 325:458-462, 1987). Synthetic decapeptides consisting of five residues on each side of the three autoproteolytic cleavage sites and their potential pentapeptide catabolites were prepared by solid-phase synthesis. Cleavage of the decapeptides by the type 2 IgA1 protease from N. gonorrhoeae was monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography. Peptides homologous with the amino acid sequences around the B and C sites are cleaved by the IgA1 protease. Amino acid analysis and Edman degradation show that the cleavage products have both the composition and amino acid sequence which would be expected from cleavage at the predicted sites. Km values of 1.35 mM and 3.43 mM and kcat values of 280 pmol/h/U and 439 pmol/h/U for the site B and site C peptides, respectively, were determined. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) for the synthetic substrates is about 10% of that reported for intact IgA1. Cleavage of the peptides is inhibited by IgA1 protease inhibitors such as the tetrapeptide substrate analog inhibitor HRP-48, human colostrum, and a peptide-boronate transition state inhibitor. An extract from an N. gonorrhoeae construct lacking active IgA1 protease failed to cleave the synthetic substrate, while an extract from the control construct which secretes active enzyme completely hydrolyzed the synthetic peptide. Neither the site A peptide nor synthetic decapeptides encompassing cleavage sites in the hinge region of IgA1 are hydrolyzed by IgA1 protease. These are the first synthetic substrates to be reported for any IgA1 protease.     

A high throughput assay of the hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 3 serine proteinase.

A simple assay was developed based on intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer for detection of the activity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) serine proteinase. Two quenched-fluorogenic substrates, (7-methoxycoumarin-4-yl)acetyl (Mca) Asp-Asp-Ile-Val-Pro-Cys-Ser-Met-Ser-(2,4-dinitrophenyl, Dnp) Lys (Mca-Asp-Asp-Ile-Val-Pro-Cys-Ser-Met-Ser-Lys[Dnp], QF-1) and Mca-Asp-Asp-Ile-Val-Pro-Cys-Ser-Met-Lys(Dnp)-Arg-Arg (QF-2), which derived from the NS5A/5B junction of the HCV polyprotein, were designed. Kinetic studies revealed that QF-1 and QF-2 had high affinity for a recombinant enzyme which is a fusion protein of maltose binding protein and almost entire nonstructural protein (MBP-NS3), with Km values comparable to that of longer substrate based on the same cleavage site. QF-1 and QF-2 were cleaved by MBP-NS3 efficiently with kcat values of 7.5 and 4.2 min(-1), respectively. QF-2 was also found to be a good substrate of deltaNS3 which contained serine proteinase part of NS3 with kcat value of 4.3 min(-1). The cleavage reaction is detected continuously by the elevation of the fluorescence due to release from quenching. The fluorescence of the substrates increases in proportion to progress of the cleavage reaction under the standard conditions. This method was applied for screening of HCV serine protease inhibitors using a fluorescence multiwell plate reader. A group of natural occurring products, flavonoids, was subjected to be screened. Two flavonoids out of 25 were found to inhibit the enzyme moderately at a concentration of 100 microM. The data agreed with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This method is suited to sensitive quantitation of the enzyme reaction as well as the high throughput analysis of the inhibitors.     

Characterisation of an alkaline peptidase of Trypanosoma cruzi and other trypanosomatids

A peptidase activity was purified from extracts of Trypanosoma cruzi on the basis of its ability to cleave benzoyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide. The enzyme was considered to be a cysteine-type peptidase with unusually low sensitivity to E-64. It has a pH optimum of about 8.0 for p-nitroanilides, and cleaves peptide bonds on the carboxyl side of arginine and, to a lesser extent, lysine residues. Cleavage of different substrates occurred at rates that were determined by their catalytic constants (kcat): the peptidase had the same Michaelis constant (about 30 microM) for all substrates tested. Evidence is presented that the peptidase is the major cysteine peptidase in T. cruzi extracts that cleaves p-nitroanilides next to basic amino acid residues at pH 8. The enzyme was detected in all stages of the life cycle of T. cruzi. Furthermore, evidence is presented, based on pH optima, inhibitor sensitivity, substrate specificity and kinetics, and electrophoretic mobility, that a similar or identical enzyme occurs in fifteen other species of trypanosomatid.     

Partial purification and properties of a mannofructokinase from Streptococcus mutans SL-1.

Fructokinase activity was demonstrated in seven strains of oral streptococci. The enzyme purified from Streptococcus mutans SL-1 was capable of phosphorylating both D-fructose and D-mmannose to their respective 6-phosphates. Phosphorylation of both fructose and mannose was dependent on adenosine 5'-triphosphate and a divalent metal ion. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 49,000. The apparent Km of the enzyme for fructose was 0.63 mM. This enzyme also utilized mannose as a substrate, with an apparent Km for mannose of 0.37 mM. Since the activities of the enzyme toward mannose and fructose were not separated upon purification of the enzyme and since mannose was a competitive inhibitor of fructose phosphorylation, the purified kinase is a single enzyme, mannofructokinase, with dual specificity for both mannose and fructose. A role for this enzyme in carbohydrate metabolism in S. mutans is postulated.     

Purification in a single step and kinetic characterization of the pyruvate kinase of Trypanosoma brucei

The pyruvate kinase of Trypanosoma brucei can be purified to homogeneity in one step by affinity elution from a phosphocellulose column with the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and the allosteric activator fructose-2,6-diphosphate (FDP). The purified enzyme has a specific activity of 175 mumol min-1 (mg protein)-1 and a subunit molecular mass of 59 kDa as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Kinetic studies of the pure enzyme show that an increase in the PEP concentration decreases the apparent Km for adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and that an increase in the ADP concentration decreases the half saturation point (S0.5) for PEP. Likewise, the allosteric activator FDP decreases both the apparent Km for ADP and the S0.5 for PEP. ADP concentrations above 0.2 mM inhibit trypanosomal pyruvate kinase.     

Purification and characterization of urease isolated from the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis.

Coccidioides immitis, the causative agent of San Joaquin Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis), produces a urease which has been suggested to contribute to the virulence of this fungal pathogen. Urease catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea and has been proposed to at least partly account for alkalinity of the microenvironment in which C. immitis grows due to the release of ammonia and ammonium ions. The C. immitis urease was purified to homogeneity (1048-fold) from the mycelial cytosol by chromatographic fractionation. The sequence of 12 N-terminal amino-acid residues of the purified, native polypeptide was identical to that predicted by the translated urease gene sequence which has been reported. The isolated enzyme exhibited a specific activity in the presence of urea of 1750 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) protein, has a native molecular mass of 450 kDa, revealed a Km for urea of 4.1 mM, had a pH optimum of 8.0 and is heat stable. Hydroxyurea, acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) and boric acid each inhibited activity of the purified enzyme. Urease activity was enhanced by the presence of 5-10 mM concentrations of Mg2+ or Mn2+, but inhibited by Li+, Ni2+, Cu2+ or Zn2+. The reversible urease inhibitor, AHA, blocked enzyme activity in the crude mycelial cytosolic fraction when added at a concentration of 10 mM. On the other hand, 10 mM AHA added to 4-day-old mycelial cultures only partially decreased the amount of ammonium detected in the culture medium. It is evident, therefore, that C. immitis urease activity does not account for the total amount of ammonia secreted during in vitro growth of the pathogen. Other metabolic sources of ammonia, which may also contribute to the virulence of C. immitis, are under investigation.     

Purification and characterization of an enzyme produced by Treponema denticola capable of hydrolyzing synthetic trypsin substrates.

An enzyme from Treponema denticola that hydrolyzes a synthetic trypsin substrate, N-alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA), was purified to near homogeneity, as judged by gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be ca. 69,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and ca. 50,000 by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The pH optimum for the hydrolysis of BAPNA was around 8.5. The enzyme was heat labile and irreversibly inactivated at low pH values. Enzyme activity was enhanced by Ca2+, Mg2+, and Ba2+ but inhibited by Mn2+, Hg2+, Co2+, and Zn2+. Metal chelators and sulfhydryl reagents had no effect on this activity. The enzyme was inhibited by certain protease inhibitors such as diisopropyl fluorophosphate, N-alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, L-1-tosylamide-2-phenylethylchloromethyl ketone, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and soybean trypsin inhibitor. The Km values for BAPNA and N-alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester were 0.05 and 0.12 mM, respectively, and the Vmax values were higher than those observed with trypsin. Although the purified enzyme hydrolyzed some low-molecular-weight synthetic trypsin substrates, it did not hydrolyze casein, hemoglobin, azocasein, azocoll, bovine serum albumin, or gelatin. Thus, this enzyme is probably not a protease but is capable of hydrolyzing ester, amide, and peptide bonds involving the carboxyl group of arginine and lysine.     

Purification and characterization of a 43-kilodalton extracellular serine proteinase from Cryptococcus neoformans

An extracellular proteinase was purified from culture filtrates of Cryptococcus neoformans NHPY24 by DEAE ion-exchange chromatography and gelatin affinity column chromatography with azoalbumin as the substrate. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was 43 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, its pH optimum was 7.0 to 8.0, and maximal activity was obtained at pH 7.5 and 37 degrees C. By isoelectric focusing, the purified enzyme had a pI of 4.77. Enzyme activity was inhibited by serine proteinase inhibitors such as phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and diisopropylfluorophosphate. The purified enzyme was thus a serine proteinase. It hydrolyzed natural substrates including hemoglobin, beta-casein, and gamma globulin.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of a nucleotide-binding domain in HSV-1 thymidine kinase: effects on catalytic activity

The thymidine kinase encoded by herpes simplex virus type 1 contains an amino acid sequence homologous to a consensus sequence related to the ATP-binding site in many proteins. We have used site-directed mutagenesis to investigate the importance of the five highly conserved amino acids within this segment. When any one of the three glycines was changed to valine the corresponding mutant enzyme was inactive. The mutation of lysine 63 to isoleucine destroyed the enzymatic activity. When threonine 64 was changed to alanine the mutant enzyme lost its activity. However, when this threonine was changed to serine the enzyme was still active but with different apparent Michaelis constants (Km) for thymidine and ATP. The wild-type thymidine kinase has apparent Km's of 0.5 and 20 microM for thymidine and ATP, respectively, while the mutant enzyme displayed Km's of 2.3 and 60 microM for thymidine and ATP. These results indicate that this homologous segment is essential for the function of the thymidine kinase and is involved in the substrate binding domain of the enzyme.     

Characterization of two cysteine proteinases secreted by Fasciola hepatica and demonstration of their kininogenase activity

We have isolated and purified two cysteine proteinases of molecular weights 25 and 26 kDa, secreted by Fasciola hepatica adult worm. Their 15 N-terminal residues were found to be identical to those of earlier described cathepsin L-like enzymes, isolated from the same source, reported as CL1 and CL2. Radioimmunoassay experiments have shown that these CL1- (25 kDa) and CL2-like (26 kDa) cysteine proteinases mediated kinin release from high molecular weight kininogen (HMWK). Lys-bradykinin (KRPPGFSPFR) was characterized as the kinin released from a synthetic fragment of HMWK from Leu373 to Ile393 (Abz-LGMISLMKRPPGFSPFRSSRI-NH2) labeled with the fluorescent group Abz (ortho-aminobenzoic acid). We examined the activity of CL1- and CL2-like on internally quenched fluorescent peptides containing HMWK sequences, in which Met379-Lys380 or Arg389-Ser390 bonds were present in the middle of the molecules. These peptides were flanked by the fluorescent donor-acceptor pair Abz and EDDnp (N-[2,4-dinitrophenyl] ethylenediamine). Peptidyl-methylcoumarin amides (MCA) were used to study the substrate specificity requirements. The enzymes presented significantly lower Km values at pH 8.0. The inverse was observed with the kcat values, which were higher at pH 5.0.