Crystallization and properties of cathepsin B from rat liver

Natural structural variation in enzymes as a tool in the study of mechanism exemplified by a comparison of the catalytic-site structure and characteristics of cathepsin B and papain. pH-dependent kinetics of the reactions of cathepsin B from bovine spleen and from rat liver with a thiol-specific two-protonic-state probe (2,2'-dipyridyl disulphide) and with a specific synthetic substrate (N-alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-arginyl-L-arginine 2-naphthylamide)

Cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1) from bovine spleen and the analogous enzyme from rat liver were investigated at 25 degrees C at I0.1 in acidic media by kinetic study of (a) the reactions of their catalytic-site thiol groups towards the two-protonic-state reactivity probe 2,2'-dipyridyl disulphide and (b) their catalysis of the hydrolysis of N-alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-arginyl-L-arginine 2-naphthylamide. Reactivity-probe kinetics showed that nucleophilic character is generated in the sulphur atom of cathepsin B by protonic dissociation with pKa 3.4, presumably to form an S-/ImH+ ion-pair. Substrate-catalysis kinetics showed that ion-pair formation is not sufficient to generate catalytic competence in cathepsin B, because catalytic activity is not generated as the pH is raised across pKa 3.4 but rather as it is raised across pKa 5-6 (5.1 for kcat; 5.6 for kcat./Km for the bovine spleen enzyme and 5.8 for kcat./Km for the rat liver enzyme). The implications of these results and of known structural differences between the catalytic sites of the rat liver enzyme and papain (EC 3.4.22.2) for the mechanism of cysteine-proteinase-catalysed hydrolysis are discussed.

Degradation of myelin proteins by cathepsin B and inhibition by E-64 analogue

Purified human brain myelin was isolated, heat-treated to inactivate the endogenous proteolytic activity and incubated with cathepsin B purified from rat liver, at pH 6.0. Incubation resulted in a marked reduction of myelin basic protein (BP) and partial breakdown of proteolipid protein or Wolfgram protein. Degradation of myelin proteins was inhibited by E-64 analogue (E-64-a). E-64 is a specific thiol protease inhibitor isolated from a solid culture of Aspergillus japonicus. The present study suggests that cathepsin B may play some role in demyelination.

Interaction of rabbit liver cathepsin M and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase converting enzyme with their endogenous inhibitors

The stoichiometry of complex formation between two lysosomal proteinases from rabbit liver, cathepsin M and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase converting enzyme (CE), and their respective endogenous inhibitors was studied by the equilibrium gel penetration method. In each case the molecular weight of the complex was found to be the sum of the molecular weights of the proteinase and its inhibitor, indicating the formation of 1:1 complexes. From the reappearance of proteinase activity on dilution, it is concluded that complex formation is reversible. Localization of the proteinase activities on the outer surface of the lysosomes was confirmed in these experiments by the inhibition of this proteinase activity on addition of inhibitors to intact lysosomes. The digestion by subtilisin of rabbit liver aldolase and rabbit liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, the endogenous substrates for the lysosomal proteinases, was unaffected by the inhibitors.

Purification and properties of a thiol protease from rat liver nuclei

A thiol protease was purified about 800-fold from the chromatin fraction of rat liver by employing Sepharose 6B gel filtration, chromatofocusing and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. It was nearly homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its molecular weight was about 29000. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 7.1. The pH optimum for degradation of 3H-labelled ribosomal proteins was 4.5. It is noticeable that the maximal activity was shifted to pH 5.5 by DNA, and that 30-40% of the maximal activity was observed at neutral pH in the presence of DNA. The activity was increased about twice by 2-4 mM dithiothreitol. The protease may be specific for the nuclei because it is different from all lysosomal thiol proteases ever known.

Homology of amino acid sequences of rat liver cathepsins B and H with that of papain

The amino acid sequences of rat liver lysosomal thiol endopeptidases, cathepsins B and H, are presented and compared with that of the plant thiol protease papain. The 252-residue sequence of cathepsin B and the 220-residue sequence of cathepsin H were determined largely by automated Edman degradation of their intact polypeptide chains and of the two chains of each enzyme generated by limited proteolysis. Subfragments of the chains were produced by enzymatic digestion and by chemical cleavage of methionyl and tryptophanyl bonds. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of cathepsins B and H with each other and with that of papain demonstrates a striking homology among their primary structures. Sequence identity is extremely high in regions which, according to the three-dimensional structure of papain, constitute the catalytic site. The results not only reveal the first structural features of mammalian thiol endopeptidases but also provide insight into the evolutionary relationships among plant and mammalian thiol proteases.

Purification and characterization of a secreted protease from Tetrahymena pyriformis

A simple major protease, secreted into the medium during growth of Tetrahymena pyriformis strain W, has been purified about 4000-fold by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration and affinity chromatography on organomercurial-Sepharose. The purified protease was homogeneous as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and was a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 22 000-23 000. Amino acid analysis showed that the enzyme was rich in acidic amino acids. In addition, the purified Tetrahymena protease consists of multiple forms with isoelectric point between pH 5.3 and 6.3. Optimum activity of the purified enzyme was in the pH range 6.5-8.0 with alpha-N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide and with azocasein, while it was in the lower pH range (4.5-5.5) for denatured hemoglobins. The purified enzyme was inhibited by compounds effective against thiol proteases. Leupeptin and chymostatin were potent inhibitors but pepstatin was without effect. This enzyme is similar to cathepsin B and appears to be a major proteolytic enzyme in Tetrahymena.

Study on a proteolytic enzyme from Trypanosoma congolense. Purification and some biochemical properties

A protease has been purified from Trypanosoma congolense bloodstream forms by osmotic disruption, freeze-thawing of the cells, followed by chromatography using Thiopropyl-Sepharose and gel filtration. The enzyme is a thiolprotease. A combination of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and contact print zymograms using casein as substrate showed a single proteolytic band with a molecular weight of 31 000. The isoelectric point of the enzyme as ascertained by isoelectric focusing extended from pH 4.4 to 5.5 with a maximum at pH 5.0. The protease cleaved various heat denatured substrates such as casein, hemoglobin, albumin and ovalbumin. The highest enzyme activity was observed at pH 5.5 and pH 6.0 using casein and hemoglobin as substrates respectively. The max. temperature was found to be 50 degrees C. The enzyme is inactivated by mercurial compounds, iodoacetamide, iodoactate, chloromethylketones and leupeptin and is activated by dithioerythritol.

Cathepsin B from human renal cortex

Cysteine-proteinase activity was observed in homogenates of human-cadaver renal cortex. This activity co-purified with renin enzymic activity until separation by aminohexyl-Sepharose--pepstatin affinity chromatography. The cysteine proteinase was purified 1780-fold after the following successive chromatographic procedures: Sephadex G-75, DEAE-cellulose DE-52, and an organomercurial affinity resin. The proteinase activity was dependent upon activation by thiol-containing compounds such as dithiothreitol, as well as by EDTA, and was inhibited by the thiol-group-specific alkylating reagents iodoacetic acid and N-ethylmaleimide. DE-52 cellulose chromatography resolved the cysteine proteinase into two components. On the basis of molecular size (26 000 daltons), activity as a function of pH, stability as a function of pH, substrate specificity and thermal lability, the major component (95%) has been identified as cathepsin B. The DE-52 cellulose elution pattern of the minor component (5%) is suggestive of cathepsin H [Schwartz & Barrett (1980) Biochem. J. 191, 487-497] Enzymic activity was determined with synthetic substrates, in particular alpha-N-benzoyl-DL-arginine 2-naphthylamide (Bz-Arg-NNap), thus precluding the detection of cathepsin L [Kirschke, Langner, Wiederanders, Ansorge, Bohley & Broghammer (1976) Acta Biol. Med. Germ. 35, 285-299]. Inhibition by dimethyl sulphoxide was observed in the determination of Km = 7.0 +/- 0.4 mM for the substrate Bz-Arg-NNap, and care must therefore be taken in the preparation of substrate solutions.

Biochemical characterization of secreted proteases during growth in Tetrahymena pyriformis WH-14: comparison of extracellular with intracellular proteases

Tetrahymena pyriformis strain WH-14 secreted large quantities of intracellular proteases into its culture medium during growth. Extracellular enzymes were purified to homogeneity from cell-free medium by ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM-Sephadex column chromatography, gel filtration, and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The DEAE-cellulose eluates were separated into four peaks (P-I, P-II, P-III, and P-IV), each of which exhibited a different specific activity toward azocasein and alpha-N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-rho-nitroanilide (Bz-Arg-Nan). These four forms of the protease showed similarity in amino acid composition, molecular weight (21,000-24,000), and antigenic reactivity. They had pH optima at neutral range. P-I showed the highest specificity to azocasein whereas P-IV was most effective toward the synthetic substrates. The Km values for hydrolysis of Bz-Arg-Nan were 2.4, 1.6, 1.3 and 1.4 mM for P-I, P-II, P-III, and P-IV, respectively, and the corresponding Kcat/Km values were 5.0, 9.4, 28.5, and 114.3 S-1 . M-1. These properties of secreted proteases were compared with those of intracellular proteases purified by the same procedure except for the initial Triton X-100 extraction. There were similarities in specific activity toward two substrates, molecular weight, Km, pH optima, and antigenic reactivity between the proteases from two sources, providing evidence that the intracellular proteases may be secreted into the extracellular medium without modification.

Modification of rat liver fructose biphosphate aldolase by lysosomal proteinases

In vivo proteolytic modification of liver aldolase on administration of leupeptin, a thiol proteinase inhibitor of microbial origin, is reported. When leupeptin was injected into rats, the activity of aldolase in the liver decreased to 40% of that in control rats. Molecular properties of aldolase isolated from the livers of control rats and leupeptin-treated rats indicated that a decrease of aldolase activity is attributable to hydrolysis of a peptide linkage(s) near the carboxyterminal of the enzyme. Injection of leupeptin also caused marked increase in the activities of free lysosomal proteinases, such as cathepsin A and cathepsin D and moderate increase of cathepsin B and cathepsin L. Increase in free activity of cathepsin A returned to the level of control rats by 12 hr after injection of leupeptin, whereas 36 hr was required for recovery of decreased aldolase activity. When insulin was coinjected with leupeptin, increase in the activity of free cathepsin A and decrease of activity of aldolase produced by the injection of leupeptin was prevented. These findings indicate that modification of aldolase may be due to action of a lysosomal protease(s). Incubation of the purified aldolase with the lysosomal fraction produced the same changes in properties of aldolase as those observed in vivo on injection of leupeptin. The aldolase inactivating proteinase in the lysosomal fraction was inhibited by PMSF and leupeptin and not by pepstatin. Purified cathepsin A (a serine proteinase), cathepsin B and cathepsin L (thiol proteinase) are potent inactivators of aldolase but cathepsin H and cathepsin D are not. Cathepsin A, B and L are involved in inactivation of aldolase in lysosomes. Endogenous thiol proteinase inhibitor which inhibits lysosomal thiol proteinases (cathepsin B, L and H) is found in the cytosol fraction of liver. The level of thiol proteinase inhibitor actually decreased to 60% of that in control rats in leupeptin-treated rats, suggesting that non-thiol proteinase cathepsin A is a major factor in inactivation of aldolase in lysosomes. Not only leupeptin but also other proteinase inhibitors (antipain, E-64-D, chloroquine) caused increase of labilization of the lysosomes and decrease in aldolase activity. Physiological stimuli which are known to induce the labilization of the lysosomal membrane, such as starvation and glucagon, caused slight or no significant increase of activities of free cathepsin A and D and resulted in no apparent change in aldolase activity.

Muscle aldolase: the stress-dependent modification of catalytic and structural properties by rat muscle lysosomal cathepsin B

Stress dependent variations in th properties of the rat muscle aldolase (D-fructose-1,6-bisphosphate D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-lyase, EC 4.1.2.13) have been linked to the corresponding changes in the levels of proteolytic activities in rat muscle. Whole-body X-irradiation of rat was shown to result in loss of muscle aldolase activity towards fructose 1,6-bisphosphate by 50% while fructose 1-phosphate activity remained unchanged (Pote, M.S. and Altekar, W. (1980) Ind. J. Biochem, Biophys. 17, 255-262). Incubation of muscle extract of irradiated rat with that from control rat or rabbit muscle aldolase caused similar changes in aldolase activity. The changes are attributed to the action of catheptic enzymes possessing latency characteristics and capable of using aldolase as a substrate; the time course of their increase after irradiation corresponds to that of loss in muscle aldolase activities. Exposure of rats to stress resulted in an increase in the 'free' proteolytic activity, and the concomitant loss of 'bound' activity in muscle lysosomes indicates labilization of lysosomal membrane. The observed degradation of aldolase in vivo by muscle lysosomes is shown to be due to the action of cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1) present in the proteolytic enzymes released into cytosol under stress. Inactivation of rabbit muscle aldolase and rat muscle aldolase by rat muscle cathepsin B inhibited by leupeptin, antipain an iodoacetamide, but not be pepstatin. Inactivation is shown to be due to the release of C-terminal tyrosine if aldolase, required for its catalytic activity. Cathepsin B who acts as a rate-limiting enzyme in the degradation of aldolase. Such a proteolytic modification of aldolase in vivo could be relevant not only to the regulation of aldolase activity of glycolysis in muscle but also to the degradation of aldolase during stress conditions related to tissue damage and the maintenance of normal aldolase levels in the blood.

Properties of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase inactivating enzymes in rat liver lysosomes

The intralysosomal localization of the enzymes that catalyse inactivation of rat liver fructose-bisphosphate aldolase (D-fructose-1,6-bisphosphate D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-lyase, EC 4.1.2.13) to a form with antigenic activity was demonstrated. The inactivating enzymes like all other lysosomal markers tested except acid phosphatase, were readily solubilized by hypotonic shock. The inactivating enzyme activity was inhibited by PMSF, TPCK, TLCK and leupeptin, but not by pepstatin. On partial purification of the inactivating activity from the lysosomal fraction by DEAE-Sephadex (A-50) and Sephadex G-100 column chromatographies, it was copurified with lysosomal carboxypeptidase A and cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1). Studies on its substrate specificity and sensitivity to inhibitors indicated that cathepsin B and carboxypeptidase A are responsible for almost all the aldolase-inactivating activity in the lysosomal fraction.

Proteolytic modification of rat liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase by administration of leupeptin in vivo

When leupeptin, a thiol protease inhibitor of microbial origin, was injected into rats, the activity of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (D-fructose-1,6-bisphosphate D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-lyase, EC 4.1.2.13) in the liver decreased to about 60% of that in control rats. However, the concentration of aldolase protein in the liver extracts, measured with a specific antibody obtained with enzyme purified on a phosphocellulose column, remained unchanged. Injection of leupeptin also caused a marked increase in the activities of free lysosomal proteases, such as cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1), cathepsin L (EC 3.4.22.-), cathepsin D (EC 3.4.23.5) and lysosomal carboxypeptidase A in the cytosol fraction. A clear inverse relationship between aldolase and cathepsin B activities in the cytosol fraction was demonstrated. The possibility that the less active form of aldolase detected in the livers of leupeptin-treated rats was produced during homogenization was excluded by showing that the aldolase activity was not changed by addition of various protease inhibitors to the homogenization medium., When insulin was coinjected with leupeptin, increase in the activity of free cathepsin L and decrease of activity of aldolase produced by the injection of leupeptin was prevented. These findings indicate that modification of aldolase may be due to the action of a lysosomal protease(s). Enhanced sensitivity of lysosomes to osmotic shock was demonstrated in the livers of leupeptin-treated rats, suggesting that the lysosomal membrane is labilized by administration of leupeptin. Incubation of the purified aldolase with the lysosomal fraction produced the same changes in properties of aldolase as those observed in vivo on injection of leupeptin.