Kininogen-derived fluorogenic substrates for investigating the vasoactive properties of rat tissue kallikreins--identification of a T-kinin-releasing rat kallikrein

Modulation of hypotensive effects of kinins by cathepsin K

Kinins are pro-inflammatory peptides, which participate in the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis, and play a key role in numerous diseases, including lung fibrosis and hypertension. Evidence has been provided recently for the presence of alternative mechanisms of bradykinin generation and/or degradation. Here we showed that cathepsin K may act as a potent kinin-degrading enzyme in bloodstream. Contrary to cathepsin L, cathepsin K attenuates kallikrein-induced decrease of rat blood pressure, and reduces the hypotensive effect of bradykinin in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, we identified, by engineering the S2 subsite of both recombinant enzymes, two critical residues involved respectively in the kininase activity of cathepsin K, i.e. Tyr67/Leu205, versus kininogenase activity of cathepsin L, i.e. Leu67/Ala205. In conclusion, according to its ability to modulate hypotensive effects of kinins, we propose that cathepsin K is a kininase of biological relevance, in complement of well-documented neutral endopeptidase or angiotensin-converting enzyme.

Substrate specificity of human kallikrein 6: salt and glycosaminoglycan activation effects

Human kallikrein 6 (hK6) is abundantly expressed in the central nervous system and is implicated in demyelinating disease. This study provided biochemical data about the substrate specificity and activation of hK6 by glycosaminoglycans and by kosmotropic salts, which followed the Hofmeister series. The screening of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) peptide families derived from Abz-KLRSSKQ-EDDnp resulted in the finding that Abz-AFRFSQ-EDDnp (where Abz is ortho-aminobenzoic acid and EDDnp is N-[2,4-dinitrophenyl]ethylenediamine)) is the best synthetic substrate described so far for hK6 (kcat/Km 38,667 s(-1) mm(-1)). It is noteworthy that the AFRFS sequence was found as a motif in the amino-terminal domain of seven human ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits. We also examined the hK6 hydrolytic activity on FRET peptides derived from human myelin basic protein, precursor of the Abeta amyloid peptide, reactive center loop of alpha1-antichymotrypsin, plasminogen, and maturation and inactivation cleavage sites of hK6, which were described earlier as natural substrates for hK6. The best substrates were derived from myelin basic protein. The hK6 maturation cleavage site was poorly hydrolyzed, and no evidence was found to support a two-step self-activation process reported previously. Finally, we assayed FRET peptides derived from sequences that span the cleavage sites for activation of protease-activated receptors (PAR) 1-4, and only the substrate with the PAR 2 sequence was hydrolyzed. These results further supported the hypothesis that hK6 expressed in the central nervous system is involved in normal myelin turnover/demyelination processes, but it is unlikely to self-activate. This report also suggested the possible modulation of ionotropic glutamate receptors and activation of PAR 2 by hK6.

Differences in substrate and inhibitor sequence specificity of human, mouse and rat tissue kallikreins

The kininogenase activities of mouse (mK1), rat (rK1) and human (hK1) tissue kallikreins were assayed with the bradykinin-containing synthetic peptides Abz-MTEMARRPPGFSPFRSVTVQNH2 (where Abz stands for o-aminobenzoyl) and Abz-MTSVIRRPPGFSPFRAPRV-NH2, which correspond to fragments Met374-Gln393 and Met375-Val393 of mouse and rat LMWKs (low-molecular-mass kininogens) with the addition of Abz. Bradykinin was released from these peptides by the mK1- and rK1-mediated hydrolysis of Arg-Arg and Arg-Ser (or Arg-Ala) peptide bonds. However, owing to preferential hydrolysis of Phe-Arg compared with the Arg-Ala bond in the peptide derived from rat LMWK, hK1 released bradykinin only from the mouse LMWK fragment and preferentially released des-[Arg9]bradykinin from the rat LMWK fragment (Abz-MTSVIRRPPGFSPFRAPRV-NH2). The formation of these hydrolysis products was examined in more detail by determining the kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of synthetic, internally quenched fluorescent peptides containing six N- or C-terminal amino acids of bradykinin added to the five downstream or upstream residues of mouse and rat kininogens respectively. One of these peptides, Abz-GFSPFRAPRVQ-EDDnp (where EDDnp stands for ethylenediamine 2,4-dinitrophenyl), was preferentially hydrolysed at the Phe-Arg bond, confirming the potential des-[Arg9]bradykinin-releasing activity of hK1 on rat kininogen. The proline residue that is two residues upstream of bradykinin in rat kininogen is, in part, responsible for this pattern of hydrolysis, since the peptide Abz-GFSPFRASRVQ-EDDnp was preferentially cleaved at the Arg-Ala bond by hK1. Since this peptidase accepts the arginine or phenylalanine residue at its S1 subsite, this preference seems to be determined by the prime site of the substrates. These findings also suggested that the effects observed in rats overexpressing hK1 should consider the activation of B1 receptors by des-[Arg9]bradykinin. For further comparison, two short internally quenched fluorescent peptides that bind to hK1 with affinity in the nM range and some inhibitors described previously for hK1 were also assayed with mK1 and rK1.

Purification and characterization of active recombinant rat kallikrein rK9

The rat tissue kallikrein rK9 is most abundant in the submandibular gland and the prostate. It has been successfully expressed in the Pichia pastoris yeast expression system. A full-length cDNA coding for the mature rK9 was fused in frame with yeast alpha-factor cDNA. The fusion protein was secreted into the medium with high yield without being processed by the yeast KEX2 signal peptidase. Mature rK9 was efficiently released from the fusion protein by trypsin and was purified to homogeneity by one-step affinity chromatography using soya bean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) as affinity ligand. The identity of the recombinant enzyme was checked by N-terminal amino acid sequencing, Western blot analysis and kinetic studies. The dual trypsin- and chymotrypsin-like enzymatic specificity of rK9 was assessed by determining specificity constants (k(cat)/K(m)) for the hydrolysis of fluorogenic substrates, the peptide sequences of which were derived from proparathyroid hormone (pro-PTH) and from semenogelin-I. Our results confirmed the presence of an extended binding site in the rK9 active site. We also identified a far more sensitive substrate of this enzyme than those previously described, Abz-VKKRSARQ-EDDnp, which was hydrolysed with a catalytic efficiency k(cat)/K(m) of 420000 M(-1)s(-1). Finally, we showed that four of the five major proteins contained in secretions of rat seminal vesicles were rapidly degraded by recombinant rK9.