Aminopeptidase Co, a new yeast peptidase

Intracellular Aminopeptidase Activity Determination from the Fungus Sporisorium reilianum: Purification and Biochemical Characterization of psrAPEi Enzyme

The aims of this study were to, first, determine the intracellular aminopeptidase activity (APEi) and second, purify and biochemically characterize one intracellular aminopeptidase enzyme from the phytopathogen fungus Sporisorium reilianum (psrAPEi), the causal agent of head smut in corn. The fungus produced APEi activity in all media cultures evaluated. The psrAPEi was purified by a procedure that involved ammonium sulfate fractionation and four chromatographic steps using an FPLC system (Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography). Results showed an estimated molecular mass of 52.2 kDa. Enzymatic activity was optimal at pH 7.0 and 35 °C and was inhibited by EDTA-Na2, 1,10-phenanthroline, bestatin, and PMSF. This aminopeptidase showed a preference for leucine, arginine, and lysine at the N-position. The K_m and V_max values were 3.72 μM and 188.0 μmol/min, respectively, for L-lysyl-4-nitroanilide. This is the first study to report on intracellular aminopeptidase activity in S. reilianum and the purification and characterization of an intracellular metallo-serine-aminopeptidase (psrAPEi).

Occurrence of epsilon-poly-L-lysine-degrading enzyme in epsilon-poly-L-lysine-tolerant Sphingobacterium multivorum OJ10: purification and characterization

Epsilon-poly-L-lysine (epsilon-PL)-degrading enzyme was found in the epsilon-PL-tolerant strain Sphingobacterium multivorum OJ10 and purified to homogeneity. The purified enzyme has a molecular mass of approximately 80 kDa. The enzyme catalyzed exo-type degradation of epsilon-PL and released L-lysine. The enzyme was a Co2+ or Ca2+ ion-activated aminopeptidase.

Aminopeptidase yscCo-II: a new cobalt-dependent aminopeptidase from yeast-purification and biochemical characterization

Saccharomyces cerevisiae aminopeptidase yscCo-II (APCo-II) was purified to apparent homogeneity by gel filtration, affinity chromatography and anion-exchange chromatography. APCo-II is an hexameric cobalt-dependent metallo-enzyme with an estimated native molecular mass of 290 kDa. Enzyme activity is only detected in the presence of cobalt ions at pH 7.0. Substrate specificity studies indicate that aminopeptidase yscCo-II cleaves only basic N-terminal residues. PMSF, Cu(2+), 1,10-phenanthroline and bestatin were found to be very strong inhibitors of aminopeptidase yscCo-II activity. Kinetic studies indicated that the enzyme has a similar K(m) and Ka(Co )(activation constant of cobalt) and, following extraction of cobalt from the enzyme, activity was recovered only after cobalt addition.

The proteolytic system of the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

Major proteolytic activities were characterized in the yeast K. lactis NRRL 1118, grown in chemostat cultures. This yeast expressed proteolytic activities similar to those found in S. cerevisiae. This fact was particularly evident in the case of proteases such as PrA, PrB and CpY with regard to substrate specificity, activation at pH 5. 0 and inhibition patterns. The presence of a CpS activity could not be detected in either fresh or activated cell-free extracts by using the dipeptide N-Cbz-Gly-Leu, even in the presence of Zn(+2). On the other hand, K. lactis exhibits at least two major intracellular Ap activities different from those reported in other yeasts, and these seem to be carried out by closely related proteins. These activities corresponded to molecular masses of about 60 kDa, close pI values, and a similar behaviour in non-denaturing polyacrylamide electrophoresis. Both activities were enhanced by Co(+2) and inhibited by EDTA. Among different aminoacyl-p-NAs, they preferentially hydrolysed Lys-p-NA. No increase of Ap activity was obtained by incubation of extracts at acid pH. The maximum PrA and PrB activities detected in N-limited cultures were six-fold higher than those expressed under C- or P-limitation. The effect of culture conditions on the Cp and Ap expression was much less pronounced in comparison with PrA and PrB activities, Ap levels even being slightly higher in C-limited cells. This fact suggests that hydrolysis of protein to peptides might be the limiting step in the pathway of general protein degradation in the vacuole.

Dipeptidyl peptidase III is a zinc metallo-exopeptidase. Molecular cloning and expression

We have purified dipeptidyl peptidase III (EC 3.4.14.4) from human placenta. It had a pH optimum of 8.8 and readily hydrolysed Arg-Arg-beta-naphthylamide. Monoamino acid-, Gly-Phe-, Gly-Pro- and Bz-Arg-beta-naphthylamides were not hydrolysed at all. The enzyme was inhibited by p-chloromercuriphenylsulphonic acid, metal chelators and 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin and contained 1 mol of zinc per mol of enzyme. The zinc dissociation constant was 250 fM at pH 7. 4 as determined by the zinc binding study. We isolated, by immunological screening of a Uni-ZAP XR cDNA library constructed from rat liver mRNA species, a cDNA clone with 2633 bp encoding the rat enzyme. The longest open reading frame encodes a 827-residue protein with a theoretical molecular mass of 92790 Da. Escherichia coli SOLR cells were infected with the pBluescript phagemid containing the cloned cDNA and established the overexpression of a protein that hydrolysed Arg-Arg-beta-naphthylamide. The recombinant protein was purified and the amino acid sequence of the protein was confirmed. We presumed that the putative zinc-binding domain involved in catalysis was present in the recombinant enzyme. It was a novel zinc-binding motif in that one amino acid residue was inserted into the conserved HEXXH motif characteristic of the metalloproteinases.

Purification of aminopeptidase from Australian classified barley flour

Barley is one of the major crops cultivated in the world. A new milling system, which removes successive layers of the grain has been developed, the preparation being called a classified flour. We have detected aminopeptidase activity in the flour obtained from the near surface zone. Barley was the Weeah species cultivated in Australia. Our aim in this paper is to describe the complete purification of aminopeptidase from barley classified flour. Aminopeptidase activity was determined using L-leucine-p-nitroanilide in 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. Aminopeptidase was extracted in 20 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.5. Fractions (HP-1 and HP-2) were obtained upon chromatography using an HI-propyl hydrophobic interaction column in 20 mM acetate buffer, pH 5.5, with a linear gradient of ammonium sulfate from 15 to 0% saturation after the ammonium sulfate fractionation (from 40 to 60% saturation) of the extract. The final purified preparation A-1-I-G was obtained from HP-1 by gel filtration, hydroxylapatite chromatography, diethylaminomethyl-ion exchange chromatography, and re-chromatography on a Sephacryl S-100HR gel column. It was pure as assessed by native and sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses. The specific activity of A-1-I-G was 64.8 fold that of the crude extract. A K(m) value of 0.138 mM when using L-leucine-p-nitroanilide was calculated. A-1-I-G is active over a wide pH range and has a strong affinity for its substrate. The classification process is effective as a step of enzyme purification. Also, the results with metal ions suggest that the enzyme is a metalloenzyme. It was concluded that complete purification of an aminopeptidase from barley was achieved.

Review: biosynthesis and function of yeast vacuolar proteases

The yeast vacuole, which is equivalent to the lysosome of higher eukaryotes, is one of the best characterized degradative organelles. This review describes the biosynthesis and function of yeast vacuolar proteases. Most of these enzymes are delivered to the vacuole via the early compartments of the secretory pathway and the endosome, while one of them is directly imported from the cytoplasm. The proteases are synthesized as precursors which undergo many post-translational modifications before the final active form is generated. Proteolytic activation by developments in the analysis of the functions of vacuolar proteolysis are described. Substrates of the vacuolar proteases are mostly imported via endocytosis or autophagocytosis, and vacuolar proteolysis appears to be mainly important under nutritional stress conditions and sporulation.

Purification and characterization of the cystinyl bond cleaving yeast aminopeptidase yscXVI

Aminopeptidase yscXVI was purified from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By SDS-PAGE the enzyme has a molecular weight of 45,000 Da, and in chromatofocusing, elution was observed at pH 6.2. The synthetic substrate cystinyl-4-nitroanilide (Km 22.5 microM, Vmax 12.9 mU/mg) is cleaved most efficiently in the pH range 7-8. Besides cleaving this standard substrate, aminopeptidase yscXVI acts on several other 4-nitroanilide substrates with unsubstituted N-terminal L-amino acids. Highest hydrolysis rate was measured with Lys-4-nitroanilide and Leu-4-nitroanilide. The activity of aminopeptidase yscXVI is abolished by chelating agents and restored by Zn2+, Mn2+ and Co2+ ions. Bestatin and amastatin are both strong inhibitors of the enzyme, with Ki values of 0.53 microM and 0.93 microM, respectively. Aminopeptidase yscXVI is detectable in the logarithmic growth phase, stationary phase, and in starved cultures of yeast.

Dipeptidyl peptidase III from human erythrocytes

Purification procedure for dipeptidyl peptidase III (DPP III) from human erythrocytes cytosol, entailing separations on DEAE-cellulose, hydroxylapatite and Sephacryl S-200 column, which gave homogeneous preparation in 35% yield, is described. The enzyme was shown to be a monomeric acidic protein (Mr approximately 82,000, pI approximately 4.5-4.6), sensitive to freezing and temperatures above 40 degrees C. It was inhibited by metallo-chelators and sulphydryl reagents, the activity being restored by divalent cations and thiol compounds. Co2 and Zn2 at low concentrations activated the enzyme, most probably by binding at the same site. Co2 prevented DPP III inactivation by di(4-pyridyl)disulfide, indicating that it is a metallo-peptidase with essential SH-groups which might be near or at the binding site for the metal. Among various naphthylamides Arg-Arg-2-naphthylamide was the best substrate (Km = 7.7 microM, kcat = 28 s-1) of the enzyme. DPP III from human erythrocytes hydrolysed also tri- to decapeptides of different composition, provided they did not have proline at P1 or P'1 position. A hydrophobic residue at P'1 was preferred. Among substrates were angiotensins and Leu-enkephalin. The enzyme showed particularly high affinity for angiotensin III.

Vacuoles are not the sole compartments of proteolytic enzymes in yeast

Localization in vacuoles, the lysosome-like organelle of yeast, was checked for several newly detected proteolytic enzymes. While aminopeptidase Co and carboxypeptidase S were found in vacuoles, proteinase D and proteinase E as well as a variety of other proteolytic activities detectable with the aid of chromogenic peptide substrates do not reside in this cell compartment.

Proteolysis in eucaryotic cells: aminopeptidases and dipeptidyl aminopeptidases of yeast revisited

Using nine different L-aminoacyl-4-nitroanilides and four different dipeptidyl-4-nitroanilides, aminopeptidases and dipeptidyl aminopeptidases active at pH 7.5 and (or) pH 5.5 in logarithmically growing and stationary-phase cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were searched for. Ion-exchange chromatography was used to separate the proteins of the soluble cell extract. Besides the three already-characterized aminopeptidases--aminopeptidase I (P. Matile, A. Wiemken, and W. Guyer (1971) Planta (Berlin) 96, 43-53; J. Frey and K. H. Röhm (1978) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 527, 31-41), aminopeptidase II (J. Frey and K. H. Röhm (1978) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 527, 31-41; J. Knüver (1982) Thesis, Fachbereich Chemie, Marburg, FRG), and aminopeptidase Co (T. Achstetter, C. Ehmann, and D. H. Wolf (1982) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 109, 341-347)--12 additional aminopeptidase activities are found in soluble cell extracts eluting from the ion-exchange column. These activities differ from the characterized aminopeptidases in one or more of the parameters such as charge, size, substrate specificity, inhibition pattern, pH optimum for activity and regulation. Also, a particulate aminopeptidase, called aminopeptidase P, is found in the nonsoluble fraction of disintegrated cells. Besides the described particulate X-prolyl-dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (M. P. Suarez Rendueles, J. Schwencke, N. Garcia-Alvarez and S. Gascon (1981) FEBS Lett. 131, 296-300), three additional dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activities of different substrate specificities are found in the soluble extract.