Identification of a binary complex of procarboxypeptidase A and a precursor of protease E in porcine pancreatic secretion

Overlapping Specificity of Duplicated Human Pancreatic Elastase 3 Isoforms and Archetypal Porcine Elastase 1 Provides Clues to Evolution of Digestive Enzymes

Chymotrypsin-like elastases (CELAs) are pancreatic serine proteinases that digest dietary proteins. CELAs are typically expressed in multiple isoforms that can vary among different species. The human pancreas does not express CELA1 but secretes two CELA3 isoforms, CELA3A and CELA3B. The reasons for the CELA3 duplication and the substrate preferences of the duplicated isoforms are unclear. Here, we tested whether CELA3A and CELA3B evolved unique substrate specificities to compensate for the loss of CELA1. We constructed a phage library displaying variants of the substrate-like Schistocerca gregaria proteinase inhibitor 2 (SGPI-2) to select reversible high affinity inhibitors of human CELA3A, CELA3B, and porcine CELA1. Based on the reactive loop sequences of the phage display-selected inhibitors, we recombinantly expressed and purified 12 SGPI-2 variants and determined their binding affinities. We found that the primary specificity of CELA3A, CELA3B, and CELA1 was similar; all preferred aliphatic side chains at the so-called P1 position, the amino acid residue located directly N-terminal to the scissile peptide bond. P1 Met was an interesting exception that was preferred by CELA1 but weakly recognized by the CELA3 isoforms. The extended substrate specificity of CELA3A and CELA3B was comparable, whereas CELA1 exhibited unique interactions at several subsites. These observations indicated that the CELA1 and CELA3 paralogs have some different but also overlapping specificities and that the duplicated CELA3A and CELA3B isoforms did not evolve distinct substrate preferences. Thus, increased gene dosage rather than specificity divergence of the CELA3 isoforms may compensate for the loss of CELA1 digestive activity in the human pancreas.

Complex Formation of Human Proelastases with Procarboxypeptidases A1 and A2

The pancreas secretes digestive proenzymes typically in their monomeric form. A notable exception is the ternary complex formed by proproteinase E, chymotrypsinogen C, and procarboxypeptidase A (proCPA) in cattle and other ruminants. In the human and pig pancreas binary complexes of proCPA with proelastases were found. To characterize complex formation among human pancreatic protease zymogens in a systematic manner, we performed binding experiments using recombinant proelastases CELA2A, CELA3A, and CELA3B; chymotrypsinogens CTRB1, CTRB2, CTRC, and CTRL1; and procarboxypeptidases CPA1, CPA2, and CPB1. We found that proCELA3B bound not only to proCPA1 (KD 43 nm) but even more tightly to proCPA2 (KD 18 nm), whereas proCELA2A bound weakly to proCPA1 only (KD 152 nm). Surprisingly, proCELA3A, which shares 92% identity with proCELA3B, did not form stable complexes due to the evolutionary replacement of Ala(241) with Gly. The polymorphic nature of position 241 in both CELA3A (∼4% Ala(241) alleles) and CELA3B (∼2% Gly(241) alleles) points to individual variations in complex formation. The functional effect of complex formation was delayed procarboxypeptidase activation due to increased affinity of the inhibitory activation peptide, whereas proelastase activation was unchanged. We conclude that complex formation among human pancreatic protease zymogens is limited to a subset of proelastases and procarboxypeptidases. Complex formation stabilizes the inhibitory activation peptide of procarboxypeptidases and thereby increases zymogen stability and controls activation.

A novel metallocarboxypeptidase-like enzyme from the marine annelid Sabellastarte magnifica--a step into the invertebrate world of proteases

After screening 25 marine invertebrates, a novel metallocarboxypeptidase (SmCP) has been identified by activity and MS analytical approaches, and isolated from the marine annelid Sabellastarte magnifica. The enzyme, which is a minor component of the molecularly complex animal body, as shown by 2D gel electrophoresis, has been purified from crude extracts to homogeneity by affinity chromatography on potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor and by ion exchange chromatography. SmCP is a protease of 33792 Da, displaying N-terminal and internal sequence homologies with M14 metallocarboxypeptidase-like enzymes, as determined by MS and automated Edman degradation. The enzyme contains one atom of Zn per molecule, is activated by Ca2+ and is drastically inhibited by the metal chelator 1,10-phenanthroline, as well as by excess Zn2+ or Cu2+, but moderately so by EDTA. SmCP is also strongly inhibited by specific inhibitors of metallocarboxypeptidases, such as benzylsuccinic acid and the protein inhibitors found in potato and leech (i.e. recombinant forms, both at nanomolar levels). The enzyme displays high peptidase efficiency towards pancreatic carboxypeptidase-A synthetic substrates, such as those with hydrophobic residues at the C-terminus but, remarkably, also towards the acidic ones. This property, previously described as for carboxypeptidase O-like activity, has been shown on long peptide substrates by MS. The results obtained in the present study indicate that SmCP is a novel member of the M14 metallocarboxypeptidases family (assignable to the M14A or pancreatic-like subfamily) with a wider specificity that has not been described previously.

Molecular cloning and cDNA sequence analysis of carboxypeptidases A1, A2 and B from the Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

Although pancreatic serine proteases have been cloned in teleosts, no sequence data are currently available on members of the carboxypeptidase (CP) family. Here, we cloned cDNAs coding for two preproCPAs, corresponding to mammalian preproCPA1 and preproCPA2, and one preproCPB from a pancreatic cDNA library of the Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. The activation peptides of flounder proCPs completely retained the sequences for inhibition of enzymatic activity of proCPs just like mammalian proCPs. Of 306-309 amino acids in total, 95 amino acids are completely conserved between bovine CPA1 and CPB and flounder CPs. Notably, amino acid residues for Zn(2+) ligands, catalysis and substrate anchoring are completely conserved between flounder and bovine CPs. Three species of flounder preproCPs are all expressed in the pancreas of first feeding larvae.

Expression of a soluble and activatable form of bovine procarboxypeptidase A in Escherichia coli

Bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A has been overexpressed in a soluble and activatable form in Escherichia coli. When the protein was expressed under the control of bacteriophage T7 promoter in E. coli ADA494 (a thioredoxin reductase deficient bacteria), a thioredoxin fusion protein was produced at relatively high level in the cytoplasm (4 mg/L culture medium). Although the recombinant protein essentially accumulated as inclusion bodies, as much as 30% of the fusion protein was recovered in a soluble form at low growth temperature and could therefore be purified to homogeneity in a single-step procedure by metal-affinity chromatography. The recombinant precursor form of bovine carboxypeptidase A was recognized by a monoclonal antibody directed against purified bovine pancreatic carboxypeptidase A. Moreover, upon tryptic activation it gave rise to an enzyme, the N-terminal sequence, molecular size,and specific activity of which were comparable to those of the enzyme derived from the native precursor purified from bovine pancreas.

Metallocarboxypeptidases and their protein inhibitors. Structure, function and biomedical properties

Among the different aspects of recent progress in the field of metallocarboxypeptidases has been the elucidation of the three dimensional structures of the pro-segments (in monomeric or oligomeric species) and their role in the expression, folding and inhibition/activation of the pancreatic and pancreatic-like forms. Also of great significance has been the cloning and characterization of several new regulatory carboxypeptidases, enzymes that are related with important functions in protein and peptide processing and that show significant structural differences among them and also with the digestive ones. Many regulatory carboxypeptidases lack a pro-region, unlike the digestive forms or others in between from the evolutionary point of view. Finally, important advances have been made on the finding and characterization of new protein inhibitors of metallocarboxypeptidases, some of them with interesting potential applications in the biotechnological/biomedical fields. These advances are analyzed here and compared with the earlier observations in this field, which was first explored by Hans Neurath and collaborators.

Crystal structure of an oligomer of proteolytic zymogens: detailed conformational analysis of the bovine ternary complex and implications for their activation

The pancreas of ruminants secretes a 100 kDa non-covalent ternary complex of the zymogen of a metalloexopeptidase, carboxypeptidase A, and the proforms of two serine endopeptidases, chymotrypsin C and proteinase E. The crystal structure of the bovine complex has been solved and refined to an R-factor of 0.192 using synchrotron radiation X-ray data to 2.35 A resolution. In this heterotrimeric complex, the 403 residue procarboxypeptidase A takes a central position, with chymotrypsinogen C and proproteinase E attached to different surface sites of it. The procarboxypeptidase A subunit is composed of the active enzyme part and the 94 residue prodomain, similar to the monomeric porcine homologous form. The 251 residue subunit chymotrypsinogen structure, the first solved of an anionic (acidic pI) chymotrypsinogen, exhibits characteristics of both chymotrypsinogen A and elastases, with a potential specificity pocket of intermediate size (to accommodate apolar medium-sized residues) although not properly folded, as in bovine chymotrypsinogen A; this pocket displays a "zymogen triad" characteristic for zymogens of the chymotrypsinogen family, consisting of three non-catalytic residues (one serine, one histidine, and one aspartate) arranged in a fashion similar to the catalytic residues in the active enzymes. Following the traits of this family, the N terminus is clamped to the main molecular body by a disulphide bond, but the close six residue activation segment is completely disordered. The third zymogen, the 253 residue proproteinase E, bears close conformational resemblance to active porcine pancreatic elastase; its specificity pocket is buried, displaying the second "zymogen triad". Its five N-terminal residues are disordered, although the close activation site is fixed to the molecular surface. The structure of this native zymogen displays large conformational differences when compared with the recently solved crystal structure of bovine subunit III, an N-terminally truncated, non-activatable, proproteinase E variant lacking the first 13 residues of the native proenzyme. Most of the prosegment of procarboxypeptidase A and its activation sites are buried in the centre of the oligomer, whilst the activation sites of chymotrypsinogen C and proproteinase E are surface-located and not involved in intra or inter-trimer contacts. This organization confers a functional role to the oligomeric structure, establishing a sequential proteolytic activation for the different zymogens of the complex. The large surface and number of residues involved in the contacts among subunits, as well as the variety of non-bonded interactions, account for the high stability of the native ternary complex.

Molecular cloning and expression of serum calcium-decreasing factor (caldecrin)

We previously reported on the purification of a serum calcium-decreasing factor, referred to as caldecrin, from porcine pancreas, that is thought to be a serine protease (Tomomura, A., Fukushige, T., Noda, T., Noikura, T., and Saheki, T. (1992) FEBS Lett. 301, 277-281). In the present study, we purified caldecrin from rat pancreas and determined its primary structure by cDNA cloning. The predicted caldecrin protein is presumed to be synthesized as a preproenzyme of 268 amino acids with a signal peptide of 16 amino acids and an activation peptide of 13 amino acids, and is, with the exception of a central region, almost identical to the reported rat pancreatic elastase IV sequence. The caldecrin gene is selectively expressed in the pancreas, as judged by Northern blot analysis. After expression in BMT-10 cells, immunoreactive caldecrin was found in the culture supernatant, and it inhibited the parathyroid hormone-stimulated 45Ca release from cultured fetal long bones. Catalytic site mutants were synthesized in a baculovirus system, and recombinant mutants also decreased the serum calcium level of mice. These data implicate caldecrin, a protease closely related to elastase IV, in the regulation of blood calcium levels.

The activation pathway of procarboxypeptidase B from porcine pancreas: participation of the active enzyme in the proteolytic processing

The activation process of porcine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase B (pro-CPB) has been studied in detail by a number of complementary methodologies, and a description of the molecular events that lead to the generation of active carboxypeptidase B (CPB) has been deduced. The generated CPB participates in the degradation of its own activation segment by excising C-terminal residues from fragments produced by tryptic proteolysis. The trimming action of CPB is, however, not essential for the release of a fully functional enzyme, in contrast to what was previously reported for porcine procarboxypeptidase A (pro-CPA). In the model presented here, the activation process is solely dependent on the first tryptic cleavage, at the limit between the activation segment and the enzyme region, and the former piece loses all of its inhibitory capacity once severed from the proenzyme. The use of heterologous inhibitors of CPB activity during the study of the tryptic activation process of pro-CPB has been required for the capture of short-lived, otherwise nondetectable, intermediates. This has allowed a complete description of the process and shown that the first proteolytic action of trypsin can also take place on a second target bond. Structural considerations that take into account the three-dimensional structures of the A and B forms of the proenzymes lead us to propose that the differences in conformation at the region that connects the globular activation domain to the enzyme are the main responsible elements for the differences observed in the activation processes of both proenzymes.

The sequence and conformation of human pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A2. cDNA cloning, sequence analysis, and three-dimensional model

A full-length cDNA clone coding for human pancreatic preprocarboxypeptidase A2 has been isolated from a lambda gt 11 human pancreatic library. Expression clones were identified by specific interaction with antisera raised against the native protein. The open reading frame of the polynucleotide sequence is 1254 base pairs in length and encodes a protein of 417 amino acids. This cDNA includes a short leader signal peptide of 16 amino acids and a 94-amino acid-long activation segment. The amino acid sequence shows 89% identity to that of rat procarboxypeptidase A2, the only A2 form sequenced so far, and 64% identity to that of human procarboxypeptidase A1. The newly determined sequence was modeled to the three-dimensional crystal structures of both bovine carboxypeptidase A and porcine procarboxypeptidase A1 by a novel distance geometry approach. Biases in the modeling were avoided by relying exclusively on automatic procedures and by using random structures as starting points. Information taken from the known homologous structures refers only to the backbone since no explicit data describing the conformation of side chains were transferred. Ten structures of human carboxypeptidase A2 were determined on the basis of each of the two known crystal structures. The root-mean-square distance for the backbone atoms between the 10 structures and their mean for 237 selected residues is 0.7 A when starting from the bovine protein and 0.8 A for 251 selected residues when starting from the porcine protein. The 94 residue-long activation segment was also determined in the modeling based on the porcine zymogen; its structure is well defined but not its orientation with respect to the enzyme moiety. The model obtained for human procarboxypeptidase A2 is discussed with respect to the specificity and activation of the enzyme.

Procarboxypeptidase in rat pancreas. Overall characterization and comparison of the activation processes

Three monomeric procarboxypeptidases and a binary complex consisting of a procarboxypeptidase and a chymotrypsinogen have been isolated from rat pancreas by HPLC. N-terminal sequence determination, substrate-specificity analysis and physico-chemical characterization showed that the carboxypeptidase precursors were the A1, A2 and B forms. No isomorphism could be detected for any of these proenzymes and no clear evidence was obtained for the presence of procarboxypeptidase-containing quaternary complexes of the types previously described for other species. Instead, we observed the presence of a binary complex between procarboxypeptidase A2 and chymotrypsinogen B. Among the major pancreatic endoproteinases, only trypsin was found to be a general activator of rat procarboxypeptidases in vitro. Time-course analysis of the products generated after trypsin addition confirmed that full activation of procarboxypeptidase A1 requires several cleavages in the C-terminal region (residues 87-94) of the activation segment, while procarboxypeptidases A2 and B require a single cleavage each. The carboxypeptidases released participate in the trimming of the activation segment in A1 and B, but not in A2, probably because of the high specificity of the latter in the active form.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus) carboxypeptidase A: purification, kinetic properties and characterization of the pancreatic enzyme

1. Carboxypeptidase A beta and carboxypeptidase A tau-type from the pancreas of the ostrich were purified by water extraction of acetone powder, aminobenzylsuccinic acid affinity and hydroxylapatite chromatography. 2. The final preparations were homogeneous when subjected to SDS-PAGE and PAGE. The M(r) values obtained from SDS-PAGE for CPA beta and CPA tau-type were 34,600 and 34,400, respectively. 3. The effects of inhibitors (1,10 phenanthroline and indole-3-acetic acid), pH and temperature on CPA activity were examined. Ki-values for CPI, PPA, D-phe, D-trp and aminobenzylsuccinic acid were determined. 4. Km, kcat and kcat/Km values were determined for hipp-phe, cbz-gly-phe, cbz-(gly)2-phe, cbz-gly-leu, cbz-(gly)2-leu and cbz-(gly)2-val. 5. N-terminal sequencing and amino acid analysis were performed for CPA beta and CPA tau-type.

Separation of human pancreatic carboxypeptidase A isoenzymes by high performance liquid chromatography

Human pancreatic carboxypeptidase A, which was isolated from a pool of necrobiotic pancreae, crystallized spontaneously and appeared homogenous in sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography of the dissolved crystals, however, revealed the presence of two distinct isoenzymes, which were shown by aminoterminal sequence analysis to be only 61% homologous in their 31 amino terminal amino acids. On the other hand, amino terminal sequences of the isoenzymes were found to be 79% and 87% homologous with CAP1 and CPA2 of the rat, respectively. Thus, the presence of two distinct pancreatic carboxypeptidase A isoenzymes could be clearly demonstrated for the first time in human tissue.

Advances in metallo-procarboxypeptidases. Emerging details on the inhibition mechanism and on the activation process

Our knowledge on the structure and functionality of pancreatic carboxypeptidases is rapidly expanding to include that of their zymogen forms. The recent application of fast and mild isolation procedures, together with modern molecular genetic and biochemical-biophysical characterization approaches, has provided a clearer view of the basic structures and functional states in which these zymogens occur, and their evolutionary relationships. The same holds for related metallo-carboxypeptidases, either in the pro or active forms, that have been isolated and characterized in non-digestive fluids and tissues, where they probably play an important role in protein and peptide processing. The determination of the three-dimensional structure of the A and B pancreatic zymogens has revealed the molecular determinants of their inactivity and proteolytic activation. The folding of their 95-residue activation segment in a globular N-terminal domain (74-81 residues) and in a connecting region (20-14 residues), and the specific contacts of these pieces with the substrate binding sites of the enzyme, are important factors in zymogen inhibition. On the other hand, the different length of the alpha-helical connecting region and the stability of its contacts with the enzyme account for the different activation properties of A and B zymogens.

Microcalorimetric investigation of the interactions between the subunits of the bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A-S6 complex

A complete microcalorimetric investigation of the interactions between the native subunits of the bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A-S6 ternary complex has been performed. All the association constants and thermodynamic parameters associated with the reactions forming the various complexes have been determined. The influence of pH and ionic strength on the binding reactions has been investigated. Interestingly, the affinity between the subunits is not significantly modified by varying the ionic strength. In this respect, an enthalpy/entropy compensatory effect is observed for the binding of subunit III to subunit I when the ionic strength is increased, suggesting a physiological function for the association. The various pathways for formation of the ternary complex have been studied. Binding of subunit II (or III) to subunit I, the central element of the ternary complex, does not significantly modify the affinity of the other subunit for subunit I. From a thermodynamic point of view, the same final state is obtained whatever the pathway of ternary complex formation. This study is the first step of a kinetic investigation of the associated subunits.

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of a bovine pancreatic preprocarboxypeptidase A cDNA

A full-length cDNA clone encoding bovine pancreatic preprocarboxypeptidase A was isolated and sequenced. The 1405-base pair insert contains a 26-nucleotide 5'-noncoding region, a 1260-nucleotide open reading frame and a 76-nucleotide 3'-noncoding fragment plus a poly(A) tail of at least 43 nucleotides. The open reading frame encodes a protein of 419 amino acids, including the 16 amino acid signal peptide. The mature enzyme (309 residues) has two additional C-terminal amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence of the protein which was reported more than 20 years ago. In addition, four residues deduced from the nucleotide sequence differed from those identified in the reported amino acid sequence from their net charge: Asp-89, Asp-114, Gln-122, and Asp-185 instead of Asn-89, Asn-114, Glu-122, and Asn-185, respectively. A high degree of identity exists between the nucleotide sequences (81.3%), on the one hand, and the amino acid sequences (78.3%), on the other hand, of bovine preprocarboxypeptidase A and rat preprocarboxypeptidase A1.

Autolysis of proproteinase E in bovine procarboxypeptidase A ternary complex gives rise to subunit III

Extracts of bovine pancreatic tissue are shown by HPLC to contain two distinct ternary complexes of procarboxypeptidase A (subunit I), chymotrypsinogen C (subunit II) and either proproteinase E or subunit III. It is shown that proproteinase E in the complex generates subunit III by removal of 13 N-terminal residues when the former is allowed to autolyze in solution or when catalytic amounts of isolated active proteinase E are added to it. Autolysis of proproteinase E was accompanied by the loss of potential activity towards specific synthetic substrates and occurred at a higher rate in pancreatic juice than in pancreatic tissue extracts, even when both were processed in the presence of serine protease inhibitors. We conclude that subunit III (also called truncated protease E) is an autolytic product of proproteinase E and not an ab initio component of the native ternary complex.

Further studies on the human pancreatic binary complexes involving procarboxypeptidase A

In contrast to procarboxypeptidase B which has always been reported to be secreted by the pancreas as a monomer, procarboxypeptidase A occurs as a monomer and/or associated to one or two functionally different proteins, depending on the species. Recent studies showed that, in the human pancreatic secretion, procarboxypeptidase A is mainly secreted as a 44 kDa protein involved in at least three different binary complexes. As previously reported, two of these complexes associated procarboxypeptidase A to either a glycosylated truncated protease E or zymogen E. In this paper, we identified proelastase 2 as the partner of procarboxypeptidase A in the third complex, thus reporting for the first time the occurrence of a proelastase 2/procarboxypeptidase A binary complex in vertebrates. Moreover, from N-terminal sequence analyses, the 44 kDa procarboxypeptidase A involved in these complexes was identified as being of the A1 type. Only one type of procarboxypeptidase B, the B1 type, has been detected in the analyzed pancreatic juices, thus emphasizing the previously observed genetic differences between individuals.

The separation of pancreatic procarboxypeptidases by high-performance liquid chromatography and chromatofocusing

Different experimental conditions and chromatographic supports have been selected for the most efficient and rapid purification of procarboxypeptidases from porcine and human pancreas by different high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) variants (anion exchange, reversed phase and gel filtration). Anion-exchange chromatography was found to be the most capable and permitted the isolation, in a single step, of three different porcine procarboxypeptidases (2A + 1B forms) and five different human procarboxypeptidases (2B + 3A forms) in a native and pure state from whole pancreas extracts. Other pancreatic proproteases are also cleanly isolated in the same step. Reversed-phase chromatography under mild conditions separated porcine or human procarboxypeptidases A from other pancreatic proteins in a very short time but was unable further to subfractionate the same proteins. The sequential use of gel filtration (or anion-exchange) and reversed-phase HPLC chromatography permitted, in a simple way, the isolation and dissociation of the strongly bound components of the binary complexes between procarboxypeptidases A and proproteinase E in either porcine or human pancreas extracts. Chromatofocusing on a fast protein liquid chromatographic support was also found to be a very efficient technique, showing a slightly lower capability to separate procarboxypeptidases than anion-exchange HPLC though in a much shorter time and in larger quantities.

Generation of a subunit III-like protein by autolysis of human and porcine proproteinase e in a binary complex with procarboxypeptidase A

Tryptic treatment of human and porcine proproteinase E, procarboxypeptidase A binary complexes gave rise to active proteinase E after removal of an 11-residue N-terminal activation peptide. By contrast, upon treatment of either complex with active proteinase E, not only was the activation peptide released but also the hydrophobic dipeptide Val12-Val13 of the corresponding enzyme. No serine protease activity on specific synthetic peptide substrates could be detected. The structural homology of inactive proteinase E with subunit III of ruminant procarboxypeptidase A was strengthened by the existence of a functional homology since truncated proteinase E still possessed a weakly functional active site. Thus, subunit III-like proteins are generated by proteinase E-catalyzed limited proteolysis of proproteinase E.

Purification and properties of five different forms of human procarboxypeptidases

Three different procarboxypeptidases A and two different procarboxypeptidases B have been isolated for the first time, in a pure and native state, from human pancreatic extracts. These proteins were purified in one or two quick steps by anion-exchange HPLC. All these forms have been biochemically characterized. Two of the procarboxypeptidases A, the A1 and A2 forms, are obtained in a monomeric state while the other, the A3 form, is obtained as a binary complex of a procarboxypeptidase A with a proproteinase E. This complex is stable in aqueous buffers at various ionic strengths and develops carboxypeptidase A and proteinase E activities in the presence of trypsin. The A1 and A2 forms show clear differences in electrophoretic mobility in SDS/polyacrylamide gels, isoelectric point, proteolytic activation process with trypsin and susceptibility to thermal denaturation. In contrast, these properties are similar in the A1 and A3 (binary complex) forms. On the other hand, with respect to the properties listed above, the B1 and B2 forms differ from each other mainly in isoelectric point. An overall comparison of the above properties reveals the unusual character of the A2 form, midway between the other A and B forms. N-terminal extended sequence analysis carried out on these proenzymes confirm that they constitute different isologous forms.

The bovine pro-carboxypeptidase A-S6 ternary complex: a rare case of a secreted protein complex

Up to now, a non-covalent ternary complex in which the pro-carboxypeptidase A (subunit I) is associated to two functionally different proteins (subunits II and III) has only been found in the pancreas of ruminant species. In the other species studied so far, the pro-carboxypeptidase A is secreted either as a monomer or as a binary association with a functionally different protein. Subunit I is the immediate precursor of carboxypeptidase A. Subunit II is a chymotrypsinogen of the C-type, involved, like subunit I, in the degradation of proteins and peptides. Although closely related to the pancreatic serine endopeptidases, subunit III appears to be devoid of any specific enzymatic activity. Information about the spatial organization of the subunits in the ternary complex has been deduced from the sequential dissociation of the complex. In contrast to the mechanism of activation of subunits I and II, which is independent of their aggregation state, the catalytic properties of the resulting enzymes are sensitive to their aggregation state. Moreover, the structural basis of inactivity of subunit III as well as the physiological role of the ternary complex are also discussed in this review.

Subunit III of ruminant procarboxypeptidase A-S6 complexes and pancreatic proteases E. A new family of pancreatic serine endopeptidases?

Subunit III (BSIII) of the bovine ternary complex of procarboxypeptidase A-S6 (PCPA-S6), a defective serine endopeptidase-like protein, actively synthesized by the pancreas of some ruminant species, is highly homologous to human protease E (HPE). Both proteins possess the same atypical disulfide bridge in position 98-99b. They are structurally related to porcine elastase 1 and human elastase 2 (about 56% identity). However, in contrast to those two enzymes which have an overall positive net charge, BSIII and HPE are negatively charged. Three-dimensional models of BSIII and HPE have been constructed from the crystallographic structure of porcine pancreatic elastase 1. The inhibitor-binding site for TFAI in these three proteins seems to be very similar; the atypical disulfide bridge does not seem to be involved in this binding site. The specific structural features of BSIII and HPE strongly support the assumption that BSIII is a truncated protease E and that both proteins belong to a separate serine endopeptidase family.

Subunit III of bovine procarboxypeptidase A: its relationship to human pancreatic elastase 1

This paper is a continuation of our study of various animal pancreatic enzymes which are related to human pancreatic elastase 1 (Sziegoleit, A. & Linder, D. (1986) Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler, 367, 527-531). The isolation and immunological analysis of the related protein from bovine pancreas disclosed that the third subunit of the procarboxypeptidase A complex is the antibody-binding component. The similarity of this subunit to elastase 1 is affirmed by comparison of their primary structures. While the complete amino-acid sequence of bovine subunit III recently has been published (Venot, N., Sciaky, M., Puigserver, A., Desnuelle, P. & Laurent, G. (1986) Eur. J. Biochem. 157, 91-99), we here present the amino-acid sequence of the carboxy-terminal tryptic peptide of human pancreatic elastase 1 showing a high degree of homology.

Further studies on the activation of bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A by trypsin

Unlike the pancreatic endopeptidase zymogens, procarboxypeptidase A is activated very slowly in vitro. The activation proceeds through the removal of about 100 amino acids away from the N-terminus of the chain. The cleavage of the susceptible bond(s) in monomeric and aggregated forms of bovine procarboxypeptidase A by catalytic amounts of trypsin was found to be very fast. However, as in the case of the porcine zymogen, the expression of the carboxypeptidase activity was considerably delayed by the inhibitory effect of the activation peptide which remains bound to the enzyme molecule after the trypsin treatment of the zymogen. alpha-Carboxypeptidase A was mainly formed under the relatively mild conditions used, indicating that the Arg-1-Ala+1 bond is probably the first to be cleaved during in vitro activation. The bovine carboxypeptidase activity was immediately and reversibly expressed upon dimethylmaleylation of the activation mixtures. This expression does not require full dissociation of the enzyme-peptide complex but merely a suitable change in its quaternary structure resulting from a modification of some electrostatic interactions upon dimethylmaleylation. Separation of bovine carboxypeptidase A from its activation peptide was only achieved upon filtration of the dimethylmaleylated mixtures in the presence of 6 M urea. The bovine activation peptide contains at least 93 amino acids compared to the 94 amino acids found by other authors for the rat and porcine peptides and sequencing of the first 53 amino acids showed a 75-85% homology with the latter two peptides.

Identification and characterization of eight porcine pancreatic proteinases, carboxypeptidase A and amylase after electrophoretic separation using specific substrates

Porcine pancreatic hydrolases in juice and homogenate surveyed by electrophoretic separation in agarose gel, at pH 8.6 and subsequently characterized using substrates of various specificity, either directly in the gel or after transfer to nitrocellulose (enzymoblotting) showed: Anodal and cathodal trypsin with Bz-Arg-pNA. Chymotrypsin A, B, and C with similar, but not identical, activities to Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA, Bz-Tyr-pNA, Suc-Phe-pNA and Ac-Phe-beta NE and with differences in their molecular weights and electrophoretical charges. Elastase I and protease E with Suc-(Ala)3-pNA and MeO-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-pNA and elastase I also with elastin. Elastase II with the chymotrypsin substrates and with elastin. Carboxypeptidase A with CN-Phe. Amylase with blue starch polymer.

Further studies on human cholesterol-binding pancreatic protease/elastase 1. Immunological detection of analogous enzymes in several animal species and identification of the porcine-derived enzyme as protease E

Antibodies against the human cholesterol-binding pancreatic protease/elastase 1 (Sziegoleit, A., Linder, D., Schlüter, M., Ogawa, M., Nishibe, S. & Fujimoto, K. 1985) Eur. J. Biochem. 151, 595-599) recognize a distinct protein in the pancreas homogenate of various animal species. The CBPP/elastase 1-related porcine protease was purified and characterized. Its properties, including specificity, proved to be the same as those of the well classified porcine pancreatic protease E (Kobayashi, R., Kobayashi, Y. & Hirs, C.H.W. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 2460-2465). While the common features of all these proteins seem to be the proteolysis with elastase-like specificities (investigated for the human-, porcine-, dog- and rat-derived protein) and an isoelectric point at about pH 5 (determined for the pancreatic proteins from man, swine, rat dog and cattle), the bile salt and cholesterol-binding capacity varies significantly among the animal species. Charge shift crossed immunoelectrophoresis of the pancreatic proteins from rat, dog, cat, swine, horse, zebra, cattle and rabbit reveals that only the protein from rat pancreas binds the negatively charged bile salt sodium deoxycholate to an extent comparable to that of human CBPP/elastase 1. Thus, within the diverse elastase family, there seems to be a distinct enzyme which merits distinct classification.

The inactive subunit of ruminant procarboxypeptidase A-S6 complexes. Structural basis of inactivity and physiological role

Subunit III has so far been found only in the pancreas of ruminants in a non-covalent association (procarboxypeptidase A-S6) with two different proteins: the procarboxypeptidase A itself (subunit I) and a C-type chymotrypsinogen (subunit II). In contrast with these latter two proteins, which are zymogens of pancreatic proteases, subunit III seems to be devoid of any activity towards specific substrates of pancreatic proteases. However, it possesses a weakly functional active site which allows it to hydrolyze a non-specific ester, p-nitrophenyl acetate, and to react with several active-site titrants. The binding of proflavin to subunit III shows that this protein owns a non-polar binding site with a very high Kd compared to that of chymotrypsin. The comparison of the amino acid sequences of subunit III and some serine proteases showed that subunit III is closely related to an elastase. Models of the tertiary structure of subunit III suggest a conformational modification that affects the substrate binding and could explain the lack of specific enzymatic activity. The presence of subunit III in the ternary complex is not related to an enzymatic function. This protein does not participate in the activation process of subunit I but prevents the denaturation of this subunit at low pH. This may represent its biological role in the acidic environment of the duodenum in ruminants.

Existence of ternary complexes of procarboxypeptidase A in the pancreas of some ruminant species

The existence of procarboxypeptidase A, in the form of a non-covalent ternary complex containing the apparently inactive serine protease (subunit III), has so far been observed only in the ox pancreas. Evidence, obtained in the present study, shows that a ternary complex of procarboxypeptidase A, with a subunit III highly homologous with that of the bovine complex, is also present in two other ruminant species, sheep and goat. The biological significance of these complex forms of procarboxypeptidase A and the consistently high biosynthesis level of the apparently inactive subunit III in all three ruminant species is still unknown. Yet the synthesis of subunit III is not related to the animal diet since in the horse, which is a non-ruminant herbivorous animal, the procarboxypeptidase A is monomeric. Reassociation assays between either bovine subunits II or III and monomeric as well as binary forms of procarboxypeptidase A from various species show that, unlike subunit II, the recognition site for subunit III is highly conserved in all the procarboxypeptidases A and that bovine subunit II is different from porcine chymotrypsinogen C with regard to association.

Sequential homologies between procarboxypeptidases A and B from porcine pancreas

Automated Edman degradation of monomeric procarboxypeptidases A and B from porcine pancreas shows that their N-terminal regions (from residue 1 to 34-37) present a high degree of sequential homology to each other as well as to other related procarboxypeptidases. Conformational predictions based on these sequences confirm their structural homology and indicate the probable existence of two beta-turns, one beta-chain and a long alpha-helix in them. On the other hand, tryptic peptide maps on a reverse-phase column indicate great sequential similarities (if not identity) between monomeric procarboxypeptidase A and the procarboxypeptidase A subunit isolated from its binary complex with proproteinase E.

Two-step dissociation of bovine 6S procarboxypeptidase A by dimethylmaleylation

Reversible condensation of the ternary complex form of bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A with 2,3-dimethyl maleic anhydride was investigated at pH 9.0 and low concentration of reagent over the acylable amino groups. After subsequent modification of only a few lysyl residues, subunit III was found to have been released from the quaternary structure leading to the separation of an apparently native protein devoid of any contaminating subunit II, while dissociation of the remaining binary complex occurred upon further addition of the anhydride. This observation suggests that the electrostatic interactions existing between subunits I and III are more rapidly weakened than those between subunits I and II, probably because fewer lysyl residues are involved and/or there is greater accessibility to the chemical reagent . Although completely inactive on the specific substrates of trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase, subunit III hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl acetate at a rate similar to that of chymotrypsin but without any burst of p-nitrophenol, which indicates that the weakly functional active site of the subunit is not quite comparable to that of serine protease zymogens. Subunit III already has some of the functional characteristics of the corresponding active enzymes.

The severed activation segment of porcine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A is a powerful inhibitor of the active enzyme. Isolation and characterisation of the activation peptide

The activation peptide of the monomeric procarboxypeptidase A from porcine pancreas was isolated by means of controlled trypsin digestion of the proenzyme followed by ion-exchange chromatography under dissociating conditions (7 M urea). The molecular weight of the isolated peptide was estimated to be around 11500-12000 (corresponding to approx. 100-103 residues) as judged by SDS electrophoresis and amino acid analysis, a figure that agrees with the differences between the corresponding values for procarboxypeptidase A and carboxypeptidase A (peptidyl-L-amino acid hydrolase, EC 3.4.17.1). The activation peptide has a high content of hydrophobic and acidic amino acids, and lacks cysteine. A remarkable feature is the strong competitive inhibitory action of the peptide on both porcine and bovine pancreatic carboxypeptidase A activity, with a Ki in the nanomolar range, and its null ability to inhibit porcine pancreatic carboxypeptidase B (EC 3.4.17.2). The above properties, and the fact that the peptide has the same N-terminal residue (lysine) as the parent procarboxypeptidase A, suggest that the isolated peptide contains most (if not all) of the activation segment of the proenzyme.

Crystallization and properties of carboxypeptidase A gamma from porcine pancreas

Carboxypeptidase A gamma from porcine pancreas was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation, autolysis, batch absorption and elution from DEAF-Sephadex, and crystallization. The overall purification was about 32-fold with a yield of 31% and the specific activity of the purified protein was 108 units/mg protein. The apparent relative molecular mass determined by gel filtration on a Sephadex G-200 column was 38 900. The amino-terminal sequence of the porcine carboxypeptidase A gamma was Asn-Tyr-Ala-Thr-Tyr-His-Thr-Leu-Glu-Glu-Ile-Tyr-Asp-Phe-Met-Asp-Ile-Leu-Val-Ala -Glu-His-Pro-Gln-Leu- which was highly homologous to that of bovine carboxypeptidase A gamma. The purified enzyme was characterized with respect to isoelectric point (4.3). Km for N alpha-carbobenzoxyglycyl-L-phenylalanine (Cbz-Gly-LPhe) (20 mM), amino acid composition, pH optimum, pH stability, stability at different temperatures and effect of drying. The enzyme contained 1.01 mol zinc/mol and was inhibited by chelating agents such as EDTA and o-phenanthroline. Among substrates such as Cbz-Gly-LPhe, N alpha-benzoylglycyl-L-arginine, various kinds of amino acid esters, casein and elastin, porcine carboxypeptidase A gamma showed an enzymatic activity only towards Cbz-Gly-LPhe and casein. These data are in good agreement with the substrate specificity of bovine carboxypeptidase A.