Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.21.37 (neutrophil elastase)
 4,078 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The antibacterial activity of a myeloperoxidase (MPO)-glucose oxidase system was found to be greatly increased by granulocyte elastase, present in azurophil granules of human neutrophils. The MPO-H2O3-mediated killing of both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was potentiated by granuocyte elastase at an acid pH, whereas at pH 7.4 only killing of E. coli was potentiated. The potentiating effect of elastase was not dependent on the enzymatic properties of the protein since it was not abolished by heating, which destroys the enzymatic activity. A peptide chloromethyl ketone elastase inhibitor abolished both elastolytic activity and the pctentiating effects on MPO-H2-O2-mediated bacterial killing. The antibacterial activity of chymotrypsin-like cationic protein of human neutrophils was also potentiated by elastase. Other degradative enzymes isolated from human granulocytes, e.g., collagenase and lysozyme, did not potentiate MPO-H2O2-mediated or cationic protein-dependent bacterial killing. The present study indicates that a neutrophil constitutent, elastase, which is not microbicidal by itself, can initiate sublethal changes that render some microorganisms more susceptible to the action of microbicidal agents like MPO and chymotrypsin-like cationic protein.
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PMID:Microbicidal mechanisms of human granulocytes: synergistic effects of granulocyte elastase and myeloperoxidase or chymotrypsin-like cationic protein. 1 11

Sheep are often used to study tissue damage following shock after traumatic injury and in the course of other diseases. The processes involved are thought to be caused at least in part by elastase released from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Since little is known about elastase and its role as a mediator of tissue damage in sheep, we studied the biochemical properties and release characteristics to sheep leukocyte elastase (SLE) in comparison of those of human leukocyte elastase (HLE). Both enzymes showed similar molecular masses, amino-acid compositions, N-terminal amino-acid sequences, and abilities to digest elastin substrates. Differences, however, were found in kinetic parameters measured with the elastase-specific substrate N-methoxysuccinyl-(L-alanyl)2-L-prolyl-L- valine-4-nitroanilide (MeoSuc-AAPV-pNa). The Michaelis constant (Km) of ovine elastase was nearly 10 times higher (1.82 mM) than the Km of HLE (0.21 mM). Values of SLE calculated for kcat were 70% and for kcat/Km 8% of corresponding values determined for HLE. In addition, significant differences between sheep and human PMNs were found in in vitro stimulation experiments. In contrast to human PMNs, sheep neutrophils released no active elastase, and only 50 to 70% of the H2O2 produced by human PMNs. This failure to release active elastase could not be explained by a lower elastase content of sheep PMNs, as there were no significant differences found between the elastase contents of sheep and human PMNs. We conclude that elastase liberated by stimulated sheep PMNs is inactivated by a concomitantly released proteinase inhibitor also located within the sheep PMNs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:The enzymatic and release characteristics of sheep neutrophil elastase: a comparison with human neutrophil elastase. 141 84

In order to investigate the polymorphonuclear leukocyte-mediated oral keratinocyte injury, the author established a method to culture keratinocytes (SCC9 and gingival keratinocytes) and subjected to the cell detachment assay by polymorphonuclear leukocytes and/or bacterial ultrasonic extracts from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4, Bacteroides forsythus OMZ 408, Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953, Capnocytophaga sputigena 4 and Eikenella corrodens 1073. The bacterial extracts alone caused no cell disruption of the keratinocyte monolayers. Polymorphonuclear leukocyte alone caused only a minimal cell detachment. On the contrary, when the bacterial extracts were added to the co-culture of keratinocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, cell detachment of keratinocytes was observed except for the bacterial extract from Eikenella corrodens 1073. The effect of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4 was the strongest. This effect was heat labile and not inhibited by polymyxin B. Cell detachment was inhibited by alpha 1-antitrypsin but not by catalase and superoxide dismutase. No keratinocyte lysis was observed in terms of 51Cr release. Hydrogen peroxide and leukocyte elastase also caused keratinocyte detachment. These results indicate that polymorphonuclear leukocyte can cause non-lytic cell detachment of the gingival keratinocytes when encountering some bacteria, which may lead to the increase of the permeability of the keratinocyte layers.
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PMID:[Polymorphonuclear leukocyte-mediated effects on human oral keratinocytes by periodontopathic bacterial extracts]. 160 29

In vivo most extracellular iron is bound to transferrin or lactoferrin in such a way as to be unable to catalyze the formation of hydroxyl radical from superoxide (.O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). At sites of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection bacterial and neutrophil products could possibly modify transferrin and/or lactoferrin forming catalytic iron complexes. To examine this possibility, diferrictransferrin and diferriclactoferrin which had been incubated with pseudomonas elastase, pseudomonas alkaline protease, human neutrophil elastase, trypsin, or the myeloperoxidase product HOCl were added to a hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase .O2-/H2O2 generating system. Hydroxyl radical formation was only detected with pseudomonas elastase treated diferrictransferrin and, to a much lesser extent, diferriclactoferrin. This effect was enhanced by the combination of pseudomonas elastase with other proteases, most prominently neutrophil elastase. Addition of pseudomonas elastase-treated diferrictransferrin to stimulated neutrophils also resulted in hydroxyl radical generation. Incubation of pseudomonas elastase with transferrin which had been selectively iron loaded at either the NH2- or COOH-terminal binding site yielded iron chelates with similar efficacy for hydroxyl radical catalysis. Pseudomonas elastase and HOCl treatment also decreased the ability of apotransferrin to inhibit hydroxyl radical formation by a Fe-NTA supplemented hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase system. However, apotransferrin could be protected from the effects of HOCl if bicarbonate anion was present during the incubation. Apolactoferrin inhibition of hydroxyl radical generation was unaffected by any of the four proteases or HOCl. Alteration of transferrin by enzymes and oxidants present at sites of pseudomonas and other bacterial infections may increase the potential for local hydroxyl radical generation thereby contributing to tissue injury.
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PMID:Pseudomonas and neutrophil products modify transferrin and lactoferrin to create conditions that favor hydroxyl radical formation. 165 25

The neutrophil serine proteinases elastase and cathepsin G produce connective tissue injury, the extent of which depends on the balance between these enzymes and their inhibitors. The most important of these inhibitors is alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor, a member of a superfamily of homologous proteins known as serpins. Neutrophil cytosol inhibited the activities of human neutrophil elastase and cathepsin G in a dose-dependent fashion. To demonstrate formation of an enzyme-inhibitor complex, we combined 125I-elastase or 125I-cathepsin G with neutrophil cytosol or alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and analyzed the products by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Unbound elastase and cathepsin G each migrated to an apparent molecular weight of 25 kDa. In the presence of cytosol from neutrophils both radiolabeled enzymes migrated with a relative size of 68 kDa, whereas in the presence of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor the relative size was 85 kDa. Enzyme-inhibitor complexes were stable in sodium dodecyl sulfate at 100 degrees C but were dissociated by hydrolysis in ammonium hydroxide (1.5 mol/L) at 37 degrees C. Formation of each complex was prevented by pretreatment of elastase or cathepsin G with diisopropylfluorophosphate, indicating that the inhibitor binds to the active site of the enzyme. Exposure of either alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor or neutrophil cytosol to the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-halide system prevented complex formation, suggesting the presence of an oxidizable amino acid at the binding site of the inhibitor. By electrophoretic analysis, the molecular weight of the cytosolic inhibitor was 43 kDa and neutrophils contained approximately 1 attomol of inhibitor per cell. The isoelectric points of the elastase and cathepsin G inhibitor were 5.5-5.9 and inhibitors of the two proteinases coeluted using size exclusion chromatography. These data demonstrate that human neutrophil cytosol contains a single serpinlike protein that inhibits elastase and cathepsin G. The inhibitor may be important in protecting the intracellular environment from proteolytic injury during degranulation.
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PMID:A cytosolic inhibitor of human neutrophil elastase and cathepsin G. 165 73

The effects of human neutrophil elastase (HNE), cathepsin-G, H2O2, xanthine oxidase-hypoxanthine derived superoxide anion and endotoxin on the PGI2 production by cultured bovine pulmonary endothelial cells were observed. The results showed that HNE, superoxide anion and H2O2 could decrease the PGI2 production by endothelial cells, and cathepsin-G had no effect on the production of PGI2. In our experiment, endotoxin could enhance PGI2 production. It was suggested that HNE, superoxide anion, and H2O2 may be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension.
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PMID:[Effect of human neutrophil elastase, cathepsin--G. superoxide anion and endotoxin on the PGI2 production by cultured bovine pulmonary endothelial cells]. 180 32

Exposure of purified human plasma fibronectin to the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-Cl- system of neutrophils or to reagent HOCl resulted in extensive changes to its primary and tertiary structures. When 1.14 microM fibronectin was exposed to 50-400 microM HOCl or 50-400 microM H2O2 plus myeloperoxidase and Cl-, there was progressive loss of tryptophan fluorescence and cysteines, and an increase in bityrosine fluorescence and carbonyl content. Analysis by SDS-PAGE indicated extensive crosslinking of the fibronectin, the crosslinks being stable under reducing conditions. The coincident increase of bityrosine fluorescence suggests that crosslinking may be largely due to intermolecular bityrosines rather than disulfides. All changes observed with the myeloperoxidase system were inhibited by azide or methionine, and were dependent upon the presence of chloride, indicating that they are mediated by HOCl. The reaction between HOCl and fibronectin resulted in the formation of long-lived chloramines. Exposure to increasing amounts of oxidant resulted in an increase in the susceptibility of fibronectin to proteolytic attack by purified neutrophil elastase. Analysis by SDS-PAGE showed a different fragmentation pattern for oxidant-treated fibronectin compared with the native protein. This suggests that regions of the molecule which were previously resistant to proteolysis were denatured to create susceptible sites for elastase. This demonstration that fibronectin is extensively modified by the myeloperoxidase system has implications for the mechanism of tissue injury by neutrophils in inflammation, since a loss of functional fibronectin would result in cell detachment and a distortion of normal tissue organization.
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PMID:Oxidative damage to fibronectin. I. The effects of the neutrophil myeloperoxidase system and HOCl. 184 32

The endothelial cells of pulmonary blood vessel play an significant role in lung vessel permeability, especially in acute lung damage and adult respiratory distress syndrome. In this study, bovine pulmonary endothelial cells were isolated, cultured and identified by means of reverse microscopic, scanning electromicroscopic, transmission electro- microscopic and immunofluorescence microscopic observation. Then they were labeled with 51Cr. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), H2O2 with catalase, xanthine oxidase (XO) with hypoxanthine (HX), human neutrophil elastase (HNE), cathepsin-G (C-G) and endotoxin (ET) were incubated with the labeled cells for half hour in various experimental groups respectively. The amount of 51Cr in the suspension released from the damaged cells was counted with r-radiometer. The results show that HNE, ET, H2O2 and superoxide anion (the latter is produced from the reaction between XO and HX) could at some degree damage the membrane of endothelial cells, and the inflammatory mediators of human neutrophils might play an important role in the development of pulmonary edema.
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PMID:[Effect of the products released from the activated human neutrophils and endotoxin on bovine pulmonary endothelial cells]. 208 56

Inherited or "acquired" deficiency of alpha 1-antitrypsin (believed to be the cause of pulmonary emphysema) will probably be treated in the future by replacement with alpha 1-antitrypsin purified from human plasma or produced by recombinant DNA, which seems promising because it permits site-specific mutagenesis in the oxidizable active site of the normal human alpha 1-antitrypsin. The aim of this in-vitro study was to investigate the elastase inhibitory activity and the resistance to oxidizing agents of normal human alpha 1-antitrypsin, a recombinant yeast-produced variant (VAL 358) and a recombinant E. coli-produced variant (LEU 358). The inhibitors were exposed to chemical oxidants (NCS, H2O2, xanthine/xanthine oxidase, chloramine-T) and to PMA-activated neutrophils. The elastase inhibitory activity was assayed on porcine pancreatic elastase and neutrophil elastase. Normal alpha 1-antitrypsin and VAL 358 variant were good inhibitors of both elastases. LEU 358 variant was the best inhibitor for neutrophil elastase, but it poorly inhibited the porcine pancreatic elastase. Normal alpha 1-antitrypsin was affected by all oxidants; both variants were almost totally resistant to chemical oxidants and to activated neutrophils. We conclude that recombinant alpha 1-antitrypsin variants differ in their elastase inhibitory activity and offer increased resistance to oxidant agents.
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PMID:Alpha 1-antitrypsin variants produced by recombinant DNA: differences in elastase inhibitory activity and resistance to oxidant agents. 210 1

We used antibodies to human leukocyte ("neutrophil") elastase and cathepsin G to localize the corresponding antigens in human neutrophils, monocytes, and alveolar macrophages by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, we combined immunogold localization with enzyme histochemistry to localize proteinase antigens and endogenous peroxidase activity in the same sections. As expected, all neutrophils contained both elastase and cathepsin G, and the proteinases localized to granules with peroxidase activity. In contrast, marked heterogeneity in monocyte staining for elastase, cathepsin G, and endogenous peroxidase was found. Sixty percent or more were unstained, while the remainder varied greatly in staining intensity. The elastase and cathepsin G in monocytes were localized by immunoelectron microscopy, combined with histochemistry, to cytoplasmic granules which had peroxidase activity. Alveolar macrophages were unstained. Therefore, a subpopulation of peripheral blood monocytes contains leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G in a cell compartment from which these enzymes may potentially be released into the extracellular space. The occurrence of peroxidase and neutral proteinases in the same granules in monocytes could permit the H2O2-myeloperoxidase-halide system and the neutral proteinases to act in concert in such functions as microbe killing and extracellular proteolysis.
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PMID:Elastase and cathepsin G of human monocytes: heterogeneity and subcellular localization to peroxidase-positive granules. 216 60


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