The pH-dependence of pepsin-catalysed reactions

PH-dependence of the steady-state rate of a two-step enzymic reaction

1. The pH-dependence is considered of a reaction between E and S that proceeds through an intermediate ES under "Briggs-Haldane' conditions, i.e. there is a steady state in ES and [S]o greater than [E]T, where [S]o is the initial concentration of S and [E]T is the total concentration of all forms of E. Reactants and intermediates are assumed to interconvert in three protonic states (E equilibrium ES; EH equilibrium EHS; EH2 equilibrium EH2S), but only EHS provides products by an irreversible reaction whose rate constant is kcat. Protonations are assumed to be so fast that they are all at equilibrium. 2. The rate equation for this model is shown to be v = d[P]/dt = (kcat.[E]T[S]o/A)/[(KmBC/DA) + [S]o], where Km is the usual assembly of rate constants around EHS and A-D are functions of the form (1 + [H]/K1 + K2/[H]), in which K1 and K2 are: in A, the molecular ionization constants of ES; in B, the analogous constants of E; in C and D, apparent ionization constants composed of molecular ionization constants (of E or ES) and assemblies of rate constants. 3. As in earlier treatments of this type of reaction which involve either the assumption that the reactants and intermediate are in equilibrium or the assumption of Peller & Alberty [(1959) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 81, 5907-5914] that only EH and EHS interconvert directly, the pH-dependence of kcat. is determined only by A. 4. The pH-dependence of Km is determined in general by B-C/A-D, but when reactants and intermediate are in equilibrium, C identical to D and this expression simplifies to B/A. 5. The pH-dependence of kcat./Km, i.e. of the rate when [S]o less than Km, is not necessarily a simple bell-shaped curve characterized only by the ionization constants of B, but is a complex curve characterized by D/B-C. 6. Various situations are discussed in which the pH-dependence of kcat./Km is determined by assemblies simpler than D/B-C. The special situation in which a kcat./Km-pH profile provides the molecular pKa values of the intermediate ES complex is delineated.

pH-dependence of the triose phosphate isomerase reaction

The pH-dependences of the kinetic parameters k(cat.) and K(m) for the triose phosphate isomerase reaction were determined in each direction. Apparent pK(a) values of 6.0 and 9.0 are observed in the dependences of k(cat.)/K(m). The pH-dependences of k(cat.) are sigmoid, with apparent pK(a) values of about 6.0. The results are interpreted in terms of a single base on the enzyme providing an efficient proton-shuttling mechanism for the isomerization.

Bovine pepsinogens and pepsins. The sequence around a reactive aspartyl residue

The specific inhibitor, N-diazoacetylnorleucine methyl ester reacts stoicheiometrically with bovine pepsin resulting in a simultaneous loss of all enzymic activity. A peptide containing a modified aspartyl group was isolated from bovine pepsin labelled with (14)C-labelled inhibitor. The aspartic acid residue is presumed to be part of the active centre and is in the same heptapeptide sequence as in porcine pepsin: Ile-Val-Asp-Thr-Gly-Thr-Ser.

An active site peptide from pepsin C

Porcine pepsin C is inactivated rapidly and irreversibly by diazoacetyl-dl-norleucine methyl ester in the presence of cupric ions at pH values above 4.5. The inactivation is specific in that complete inactivation accompanies the incorporation of 1mol of inhibitor residue/mol of enzyme and evidence has been obtained to suggest that the reaction occurs with an active site residue. The site of reaction is the beta-carboxyl group of an aspartic acid residue in the sequence Ile-Val-Asp-Thr. This sequence is identical with the active-site sequence in pepsin and the significance of this in terms of the different activities of the two enzymes is discussed.

The pathway of pepsin-catalysed transpeptidation. Evidence for the reactive species being the anion of the acceptor molecule

1. The inhibition of pepsin-catalysed hydrolysis of N-acetyl-l-phenylalanyl-l-phenylalanylglycine by the acyl product and product analogues was studied at pH4.3. 2. The acyl product, N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine, gives rise to linear competitive inhibition at pH4.3, whereas at pH2.1 it shows linear non-competitive behaviour. 3. The extent of transpeptidation to N-acetyl-l-[(3)H]phenylalanine during the pepsin-catalysed hydrolysis of N-acetyl-l-phenylalanyl-l-phenylalanyl-glycine is significant at pH4.7, but is undetectable at pH1.3. 4. Both the inhibition and transpeptidation experiments are consistent with the anion of the acceptor molecule being the substrate in pepsin-catalysed transpeptidation. This conclusion supports the formulation of pepsin-catalysed reactions put forward by Knowles et al. (1970).

The inhibition of pepsin-catalysed reactions by structural and stereochemical product analogues

1. The inhibition of pepsin-catalysed hydrolysis of N-acetyl-l-phenylalanyl-l-phenylalanylglycine by products and product analogues was studied. 2. Inhibitors of the l-configuration give rise to linear non-competitive inhibition, whereas those of the d-configuration show linear competitive behaviour. 3. Non-competitive inhibition by the product N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine indicates an ordered release of products, which supports a common mechanism (involving an ;amino-enzyme') for pepsin-catalysed transpeptidation and hydrolysis reactions. 4. The differences in the types of inhibition caused by product analogues of the l- and d-series emphasize the stereospecificity of the binding of these inhibitors to free enzyme and to the putative amino-enzyme intermediate. 5. The results suggest that it is the anion of the acyl product that is released first in the hydrolytic reaction (see Kitson & Knowles, 1971).

The pH-dependence of the binding of competitive inhibitors to pepsin

1. The pH-dependence of the binding to pepsin of four dipeptide competitive inhibitors is reported. Values of K(i) obtained from equilibrium-dialysis experiments agree closely with those from kinetic measurements. 2. The binding of uncharged N-acyl-dipeptide amides to pepsin is essentially independent of pH from 0.2 to 5.8. Values of K(i) for the corresponding N-acyl-dipeptide acids rise rapidly above pH3.5, and depend on the ionization of a group of apparent pK(a) 3.6. 3. The data indicate that pepsin does not undergo any gross conformation change (at least none that affects binding) over the whole pH range of its catalytic activity. The pH-dependence of the dipeptide acid inhibitors indicates that the acid anions do not bind to pepsin, presumably because of electrostatic repulsion between the inhibitor anion and a negative centre at or near the active site of the enzyme. 4. The binding of all four stereoisomers of N-acetylphenylalanylphenylalanine, of the depside analogues of the l-l- and d-l-compounds and of N-acetylglycyl-l-phenylalanine and N-acetyl-l-phenylalanylglycine was studied at pH2.2. 5. These results throw further light on the binding specificity of pepsin and on the charge nature of the active site of this enzyme.

The rate-determining step in pepsin-catalysed reactions, and evidence against an acyl-enzyme intermediate

To delineate further the pathway of pepsin-catalysed reactions, three types of experiments were performed: (a) the enzyme-catalysed hydrolysis of a number of di- and tri-peptide substrates was studied with a view to observing the rate-determining breakdown of a common intermediate; (b) the interaction of pepsin with several possible substrates for which ;burst' kinetics might be expected was investigated; (c) attempts were made to trap a possible acyl-enzyme intermediate with [(14)C]methanol in both a hydrolytic reaction (with N-acetyl-l-phenylalanyl-l-phenylalanylglycine) and in a ;virtual' reaction (with N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine) under conditions where extensive hydrolysis or (18)O exchange is known to occur. It is concluded that (i) intermediates in pepsin-catalysed reactions (aside from the Michaelis complex) occur subsequently to the rate-determining transition state, and (ii) an acyl-enzyme intermediate, if such is formed, cannot be trapped with [(14)C]methanol in these systems.

The inhibition of pepsin-catalysed reactions by products and product analogues. Kinetic evidence for ordered release of products

1. The inhibition of pepsin-catalysed hydrolysis of N-acetyl-l-phenylalanyl-l-phenylalanylglycine by products and product analogues was studied. 2. The non-competitive nature of the inhibition by the product N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine confirms an ordered release of products, and points to a common mechanism (involving an amino-enzyme) for pepsin-catalysed transpeptidation and hydrolysis reactions. 3. N-Acetyl-l-phenylalanine ethyl ester is also a non-competitive inhibitor, but here the inhibition is of the ;dead-end' type. No ethanol is detectable in reaction mixtures, indicating that this ester cannot act as an amino group acceptor in a transpeptidation process. 4. The same is true for N-methanesulphonyl-l-phenylalanine methyl and methyl thiol esters. No methanethiol is liberated when the methyl thiol ester is present as an inhibitor of the hydrolytic reaction, and the hope that such a thiol ester would effectively trap the amino-enzyme was not fulfilled.

An aspartic acid residue at the active site of pepsin. The isolation and sequence of the heptapeptide

Pepsin reacts stoicheiometrically with the active-site-directed irreversible inhibitor N-diazoacetyl-l-phenylalanine methyl ester, with concomitant loss of all proteolytic and peptidolytic activity. The reagent esterifies a unique aspartic acid residue in pepsin, which is in the sequence:Ile-Val-Asp-Thr-Gly-Thr-Ser