Spectrophotometric assay and properties of the angiotensin-converting enzyme of rabbit lung

Angiotensin-converting enzyme from rabbit pulmonary particles

Angiotensin-converting enzyme has been solubilized from rabbit pulmonary particles and purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was estimated to be about 136,000 by glycerol gradient centrifugation, and a value of 140,000 was obtained for the reduced denatured protein by disc-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2-mercaptoethanol. The enzyme was found to be a glycoprotein with carbohydrate accounting for approximately 16% of its dry weight. The major sugar residues were identified as galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, and mannose, with smaller amounts of fucose and sialic acid. The homogeneous enzyme catalyzed the release of His-Leu from the COOH-terminus of angiotensin I and of Phe-Arg and Ser-Pro from that of bradykinin.

Purification and properties of angiotensin-converting enzyme from hog lung

Angiotensin-converting enzyme was purified 1500-fold from a homogenate of hog lungs. The purification procedure included fractionation with ammonium sulfate, inactivation of contaminating enzymes at pH 4.7, batch treatment with CM-cellulose, and chromatography on columns of DEAE-cellulose, hydroxyapatite, and Sephadex G-200. The enzyme was assayed with hippurylglycylglycine and, after pH 4.7 was established, with both hippurylglycylglycine and angiotensin I as substrates. The ratio of activity toward the two substrates remained constant throughout the later stages of purification. The final enzyme preparation, on analytical disc gel electrophoresis, showed one major protein band with the expected ratio of activities toward both substrates. The molecular weight was estimated to be approximately 300,000 by gel filtration. The pH optimums with hippurylglycylglycine and angiotensin I as substrates were 8.4 and 7.5, respectively, and chloride ion was required for optimal activity of the enzyme with both substrates. Hydrolysis of both substrates was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or the pentapeptide pyroglutamyllysyltryptophanylalanylproline. It would, therefore, appear that a single enzyme, purified in the described manner, hydrolyzes both angiotensin I and hippurylglycylglycine.