Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.21.1 (chymotrypsin)
 10,938 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An extracellular proteinase has been partially purified from culture filtrates of Trichophyton rubrum by ultrafiltration, isoelectric focusing and gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme has a non-reduced molecular weight of 235,000 by substrate SDS-PAGE. It has a pH optimum of 8.5 using azocasein and azoalbumin as substrates and a pI of 3.6-3.8. The metalloproteinase inhibitors EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline, together with the chymotrypsin inhibitor chymostatin, strongly inhibited its activity. The serine proteinase inhibitors phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride and diisopropylfluorophosphate showed weak inhibitory activity. The proteinase exhibited broad substrate activity against azocoll, azoalbumin, azocasein, laminin and fibronectin. It exhibited weak activity against elastin and keratin. Observations on the occurrence of this proteinase together with previously described lower molecular weight proteinases suggests that the former is the first to appear in minimal medium cultures. Freeze/thaw cycling of the partially purified 235,000 M(r) proteinase was found to generate low molecular weight proteinases, particularly at 53,000, 27,000 and 25,000 M(r), indicating that the latter may originate from the larger molecule.
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PMID:Partial purification and characterization of a 235,000M(r) extracellular proteinase from Trichophyton rubrum. 784 25

Two types of fragmented keratin were prepared from buffalo horn and hoof using savinase and Na2S, and their physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties were examined in mice. The number-average molecular weight of enzymatically fragmented keratin (E-FK), chemically fragmented keratin (C-FK), and fragmented gelatin (FG) were 8000, 33,000, and 6600, respectively. The systematic acute toxicity of FKs was significantly low. Moreover, the immunogenicity of FKs was significantly lower than that of superoxide dismutase. FKs and FG were partially hydrolyzed by trypsin. FKs were digested easily by alpha-chymotrypsin, but FG underwent less hydrolysis under the same conditions. FKs were bound to plasma proteins, including albumin, and also to some proteins in liver and kidney homogenates. In plasma, E-FK was hydrolyzed slowly, but in liver and kidney homogenates it showed slightly faster hydrolysis. In contrast, FG was not hydrolyzed in any of the media used here. After intravenous administration of FKs and FG to mice, these molecules were rapidly eliminated from the plasma. E-FK and C-FK were taken up into the kidneys (CLuptake, kidney; 10,400, 11,600 microliters/h/g), and then gradually excreted in urine. FG was excreted rapidly into urine (CLurine; 6360 microliters/h). Interestingly, C-FK was also taken up into the liver (CLliver; 4820 microliters/h). These results indicated that fragmented keratins are biodegradable materials and might be used as new types of liver- and kidney-specific targeting carriers.
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PMID:The physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of fragmented keratin as a new drug carrier. 892 20

Dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) induces pancreatic adenocarcinomas in rats 9 months after carcinogen exposure, with precursor lesions (tubular complexes) developing 1 month after initiation of treatment. Because previous studies have suggested an acinar cell of origin for these tumors, we investigated the expression pattern of ductal, acinar, and islet cell markers in these cancers to gain insight into their phenotype and cell of origin. Pancreatic neoplasms were induced in rats by implantation of DMBA into the head of the pancreas. Lesions studied included 10 early tubular complexes (DMBA for 2 weeks), 8 tubular complexes (DMBA for 1 month), and 10 adenocarcinomas (DMBA for 9 months). Normal rat pancreas served as a control. For comparison, 5 human ductal adenocarcinomas were also evaluated. Immunohistochemistry with ductal (keratin, cytokeratin 19, cytokeratin 20), acinar (chymotrypsin), and islet (chromogranin A) cell markers was performed to analyze the tissues. Rat tubular complexes and adenocarcinomas revealed strong expression of keratin, cytokeratin 19, and cytokeratin 20 in the cytoplasm of all neoplastic cells, absence of chymotrypsin, and rare immunoreactivity to chromogranin A. Human adenocarcinomas showed strong expression of keratin and cytokeratin 19 in all neoplastic cells, expression of cytokeratin 20 in 5-20% of cells, and absence of chymotrypsin and chromogranin A. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas induced by DMBA in rats express markers consistent with a ductal phenotype, as observed in human tumors. Ductal marker expression in early tumor stages suggests a ductal cell of origin.
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PMID:Immunohistochemical characterization of pancreatic tumors induced by dimethylbenzanthracene in rats. 1023 60

Based on previous screening for keratinolytic nonpathogenic fungi, Paecilomyces marquandii and Doratomyces microsporus were selected for production of potent keratinases. The enzymes were purified and their main biochemical characteristics were determined (molecular masses, optimal temperature and pH for keratinolytic activity, N-terminal amino acid sequences). Studies of substrate specificity revealed that skin constituents, such as the stratum corneum, and appendages such as nail but not hair, feather, and wool were efficiently hydrolyzed by the P. marquandii keratinase and about 40% less by the D. microsporus keratinase. Hydrolysis of keratin could be increased by the presence of reducing agents. The catalytic properties of the keratinases were studied and compared to those of some known commercial proteases. The profile of the oxidized insulin B-chain digestion revealed that both keratinases, like proteinase K but not subtilisin, trypsin, or elastase, possess broad cleavage specificity with a preference for aromatic and nonpolar amino acid residues at the P-1 position. Kinetic studies were performed on a synthetic substrate, succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide. The keratinase of P. marquandii exhibited the lowest Km among microbial keratinases reported in the literature, and its catalytic efficiency was high in comparison to that of D. microsporus keratinase and proteinase K. All three keratinolytic enzymes, the keratinases of P. marquandii and D. microsporus as well as proteinase K, were significantly more active on keratin than subtilisin, trypsin, elastase, chymotrypsin, or collagenase.
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PMID:Similarities and specificities of fungal keratinolytic proteases: comparison of keratinases of Paecilomyces marquandii and Doratomyces microsporus to some known proteases. 1600 Jul 44

An exocellular proteinase synthesized by the geophilic dermatophyte Trichophyton vanbreuseghemii has been purified and characterized. The fungus obtained from soil in Iran was cultivated in modified Czapek-Dox liquid medium containing 0.1% bacteriological peptone and 1% glucose as the nitrogen and carbon sources. Partial purification of the proteinase was accomplished by (NH(4))(2)SO(4) precipitation, followed by ion exchange chromatography. Analysis of the enzyme by SDS-PAGE revealed a single polypeptide chain with an apparent molecular mass of 37 kDa. Proteinase activity was optimum at pH 8, but remained high in the range of pH 7-11. Moreover, the partially purified enzyme presented a keratinolytic activity as evidenced by the keratin azure test. The inhibition profile and the good activity of the enzyme towards the synthetic substrate N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide suggested that it belonged to the chymotrypsin/subtilisin group of serine proteinases. The keratinolytic properties of T. vanbreuseghemii suggest that this fungus may be an alternative for the recycling of industrial keratinic wastes.
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PMID:Partial purification and characterization of a 37 kDa extracellular proteinase from Trichophyton vanbreuseghemii. 1676 Nov 84

Few lineages of insects are able to feed on keratin (hair, feathers) and it remains unknown which genes enable this metabolism and what is their evolutionary origin. We conducted a transcriptomic study of two keratin-feeding insects, the clothes moth Tineola bisselliella (Lepidoptera) and the keratin beetle Trox sp. (Coleoptera). Using subtracted cDNA libraries enriched for gut-expressed transcripts, a total of 672 clones sequenced per library resulted in > 150 tentative unique sequences for each species. Sequence similarity predictions identified 22.4% (Tineola) and 6.8% (Trox) of the ESTs as proteases, and mainly as serine proteases of the trypsin and chymotrypsin type, while lacking cysteine proteases. None of the sequences showed similarity to subtilisin type proteases that confers keratinolytic activities in prokaryotes and fungi. Neighbor-Joining trees grouped Tineola and Trox serine proteases near other lepidopteran and coleopteran sequences, respectively, but distant from each other. A few abundant ESTs had no database matches but their presence suggests a role specific to these keratin-feeding insects. While high expression of specific serine proteases appears linked to keratin digestion in both species, it remains to be established if their action requires additional enzymatic or physiological functions to initiate the degradation of the abundant cysteine bonds of keratins. These catabolic pathways are of great interest in the leather industry for the removal of hair, while proteinase inhibitors could prevent damage from clothes moths.
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PMID:Gene expression in the gut of keratin-feeding clothes moths (Tineola) and keratin beetles (Trox) revealed by subtracted cDNA libraries. 1683 24

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a member of the phylum Chytridiomycota and the causative organism chytridiomycosis, a disease of amphibians associated with global population declines and mass mortality events. The organism targets keratin-forming epithelium in adult and larval amphibians, which suggests that keratinolytic activity may be required to infect amphibian hosts. To investigate this hypothesis, we tested 10 isolates of B. dendrobatidis for their ability to grow on a range of keratin-supplemented agars and measured keratolytic enzyme activity using a commercially available kit (bioMerieux API ZYM). The most dense and fastest growth of isolates were recorded on tryptone agar, followed by growth on frog skin agar and the slowest growth recorded on feather meal and boiled snake skin agar. Growth patterns were distinctive for each nutrient source. All 10 isolates were strongly positive for a range of proteolytic enzymes which may be keratinolytic, including trypsin and chymotrypsin. These findings support the predilection of B. dendrobatidis for amphibian skin.
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PMID:Growth characteristics and enzyme activity in Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis isolates. 1856 20


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