Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.21.4 (trypsin)
 42,187 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An enzyme capable of converting putative opioid peptide intermediates to free enkephalin has been purified 300-fold from washed rat brain membranes. The action of this enzyme, an enkephalin-generating endopeptidase (EGE), was compared with the action of carboxypeptidase B after trypsin treatment on enkephalin precursor peptides present in rat striata. After Sephadex G-100 gel filtration of striatal material, fractions were radioimmunoassayed for enkephalin content using an antiserum specific for the carboxyl terminal of enkephalin. Additionally, aliquots of the column fractions were treated with either trypsin and carboxypeptidase B, trypsin and EGE, or EGE alone. The peak of enkephalin immunoreactivity increased with the enzymes' treatment indicating the conversion of the low molecular weight proenkephalin precursor peptides to enkephalin. Trypsin and EGE generated almost as much enkephalin as trypsin and carboxypeptidase B in the conditions of the experiment. Thus EGE is capable of processing precursors to enkephalin after the action of trypsin-like enzyme(s) in the brain. The gel filtration fractions containing enkephalin and its low molecular weight precursors were pooled and one-half treated with EGE. The contents were analyzed by HPLC and the increase in immunoreactivity co-eluted with enkephalin and Leu-enkephalin. Small peptides found to be the most potent competitive inhibitors of this enzyme are Met-Arg-Phe-Ala, and Met-Arg-Phe.
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PMID:Brain endopeptidase generates enkephalin from striatal precursors. 675 May 68

The biosynthesis and initial processing of the methionine-enkephalin precursor preproenkephalin A were examined by cell-free translation of mRNA from brain and adrenal medulla. A novel antiserum raised against Met-enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 was shown to react with bovine adrenal medulla fractions (apparent Mr 34,000) containing proenkephalin A. Affinity-purified antibodies from this antiserum were used to immunoprecipitate cell-free translated [35S]Met-enkephalin-containing protein. A protein of apparent Mr 30,000 +/- 500 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was the only Met-enkephalin precursor consistently synthesized by translation of mRNA from bovine or guinea pig striatum, rat brain, or bovine adrenal medulla. The presence of [35S]Met-enkephalin sequences in this protein was confirmed by high pressure liquid chromatography of trypsin/carboxypeptidase B digests. Dog pancreas endoplasmic reticulum membranes converted the Mr 30,000 protein to an immunoreactive protein of apparent Mr 28,500 that lacked significant core glycosylation. These results suggest that 1) a protein similar or identical to bovine adrenal medullary preproenkephalin A is the major Met-enkephalin precursor synthesized in brain as well as adrenal medulla, and 2) preproenkephalin A is converted to a protein resembling proenkephalin A, presumably by removal of a signal peptide.
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PMID:In vitro biosynthesis and processing of immunologically identified methionine-enkephalin precursor protein. 682 79

Two [Met]enkephalin-containing polypeptides have been purified from extracts of bovine and adrenal chromaffin granules. One is 8000 daltons in size and contains the enkephalin sequence at the carboxy terminus. The other (14,000 daltons) has two internal enkephalin sequences and a third sequence at the carboxy terminus. All of these sequences can be released by trypsin, indicating a possible enkephalin precursor role for the polypeptides.
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PMID:Enkephalin biosynthetic pathway: proteins of 8000 and 14,000 daltons in bovine adrenal medulla. 693 44

Although the number of enkephalin-containing polypeptides (ECP's) from bovine adrenal chromaffin granules have been isolated and sequenced the complete sequence of the translation product has not been determined. Preliminary data from cDNA suggests a 1500 mRNA is the precursor mRNA. Continuation of that line of research to clone the cDNA should provide the total precursor amino acid sequence. Data obtained from ovine chromaffin granules indicates that the ECP's from the species are very similar to those in bovine granules. If this is extended to other species it would appear that some of the ECP's may serve a role beyond that of an enkephalin precursor. In an analogy to pro-opiocortin the "proenkephalin" also may contain multiple hormone sequences. The sequences determined thus far imply trypsin-like enzymes and a carboxy-peptidase B are used to cleave the precursor. We have determined that both types of enzymes are indeed present in chromaffin granules and further studies of these enzymes will provide information of how the precursor cleavages are regulated.
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PMID:Enkephalin biosynthesis in the adrenal medulla. 712 93

A protein that may be an enkephalin precursor has been identified in extracts of bovine adrenal medulla. This protein (about 50,000 daltons) appears to contain seven copies of [Met]enkephalin and one copy of [Leu]enkephalin. Digestion with trypsin and carboxypeptidase B yields [Met]enkephalin and [Leu]enkephalin in a ratio of almost 7 to 1. The enkephalins were identified by chromatography and by their binding to opiate receptors. Some characteristics of several other adrenal peptides that may serve as intermediates in the biosynthesis of the enkephalins are presented.
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PMID:An about 50,000-dalton protein in adrenal medulla: a common precursor of [Met]- and [Leu]enkephalin. 738 87

Synenkephalin (proenkephalin 1-70) is produced and secreted as an intact molecule or as a part of precursors in the adult brain and adrenal medulla, respectively. However, it is cleaved to low molecular weight peptides in proliferating immune cells. Considering that the pre-proenkephalin gene is expressed in the embryonic rat brain during the cell proliferation stage, we studied the processing of synenkephalin in embryonic rat brains (E18) and compared it with the processing in adult rat brains. IR-synenkephalin was measured by RIA using a C-terminally directed antiserum. Adult rat brains contained higher concentrations of immunoreactive (IR)-synenkephalin (2,612 + 264) than embryonic rat brain (1,361 + 100) (results in fmol/mg proteins, n = 5). Gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-50) showed that in the extracts of adult rat brain, 50% of the IR-synenkephalin eluted in the position of the authentic peptide (8 kDa) and the rest of the immunoreactivity corresponded to partially processed peptides of 4.0 and 2.5 kDa. In embryonic rat brains synenkephalin was processed to intermediate peptides of 2.5, 1.7 and mainly to a low molecular weight peptide of 1.0 kDa. The concentration of this last peptide, which was further characterized by affinity column and HPLC, represented 45% of the total immunoreactivity. IR-met-enkephalin in embryonic rat brains (analyzed before and after enzymatic digestion with trypsin and carboxypeptidase B) corresponded principally to non-processed or partially processed products. However, these were cleaved to free met-enkephalin in adult rat brains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Synenkephalin processing in embryonic rat brain. 817 24

A method is presented for the analysis of peptides in plasma at picomole to femtomole levels. Peptides are isolated from plasma by solid-phase extraction, the peptide of interest is purified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and selectively digested using immobilized trypsin or chymotrypsin to yield specific di- or tripeptides. These di- and tripeptides are esterified using heptafluorobutyric anhydride, alkylated with pentafluorobenzyl bromide, then quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with negative ion chemical ionization. This method has been evaluated for a model synthetic heptapeptide, using a deuterium labeled analog as an internal standard. The half-life of the heptapeptide in human plasma was found to be 2 min. Extraction efficiencies of a tritiated peptide of similar size to the heptapeptide, [3H]DSLET, from plasma using either C18 or strong cation-exchange columns were 85+/-3 and 70+/-2%, respectively. Quantitation of fragments from the heptapeptide indicated that the analysis was linear from 1-50 ng of the heptapeptide per ml of plasma. This method was subsequently employed for pharmacokinetic studies of the biologically active peptide Met-enkephalin-Arg-Gly-Leu, where linearity was obtained from 50 to 1000 ng/ml in rat plasma. This method demonstrated negligible side reaction by-products due to autolysis, and has potential for extensive use given the wide availability of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
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PMID:Quantitative analysis of exogenous peptides in plasma using immobilized enzyme cleavage and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with negative ion chemical ionization. 939 Jul 10

Opioid peptides are negative regulators of cell proliferation in several organs including the uterus. In the present study, the ontogeny of the direct inhibitory action of opioid peptides on the proliferation of cultured rat uterine cells was investigated. Uteri of 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 60-day-old rats were removed in a sterile way. Tissue blocks were dispersed by limited digestions with trypsin and collagenase. Cells were cultured in enriched Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM). Treatments were present during the entire culture period. Cell densities of the monolayers were determined by counting the cells following trypsinization and trypan blue exclusion. Rat uterine mixed cell cultures grew to confluence within 10 days. The average population doubling time gradually increased with the age of animals. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) increased cell densities of cultures from all age groups. The oestradiol (E2)-responsiveness appeared at 21 days of age. The effect of [D-Met2-Pro5]-enkephalinamide (ENK) was biphasic. ENK and [Met5]-enkephalin (OGF) decreased cell densities of both unstimulated and EGF-stimulated cultures from 7-day-old rats to the same extent. ENK failed to act in 14-day-old animals. From 21 days of age on, the E2- or EGF-stimulated proliferation was inhibited only by ENK and DAMGO, while 30 nm DPDPE, Dynorhin-A, OGF, [Leu5]-enkephalin, beta-endorphin, and morphiceptin were ineffective. The half-inhibitory concentration of ENK was 0.3 nm. The effects of ENK were prevented by concomitant treatment with naloxone. Our novel data demonstrate two different phases of the inhibitory action of opioid peptides on rat uterine cell proliferation during ontogeny with an insensitive interval in between.
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PMID:Developmental changes in the inhibition of cultured rat uterine cell proliferation by opioid peptides. 1281 31


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