Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.24.11 (CD10)
 9,792 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The Saccharomycopsis fibuligera alpha-amylase (Sfamy) gene was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The highest productivity of Sfamy was 70 mg per liter of culture broth. We purified Sfamy from the culture broth and identified the NH2 terminal primary sequence. This sequence suggests that the Sfamy gene product is synthesized as a pre-pro-precursor, and the pro-sequence is cleaved after a Lys-Arg sequence with the calpain-like endopeptidase encode by the KEX2 gene, resulting in mature Sfamy protein composed of 468 amino acids. Furthermore, the enzyme Sfamy is a glycoprotein in which one N-linked sugar chain containing mannose residues is attached to the Asn residue at the 198 position. The Km and kcat values were 1.1 x 10(-4) M and 1.4 x 10(2) sec-1, respectively, using amylose (the degree of polymerization n = 18) as a substrate. Moreover, the secondary structure, the location of the secondary elements including alpha-helix, beta-sheet, and loop, and tertiary structure were predicted theoretically on the basis of the molecular structure of Aspergillus oryzae alpha-amylase. Taka-amylase A (TAA). These results indicate that Sfamy protein is composed of main (M) and C-terminal (C) domains. The molecular structure of M domain closely resembles that of TAA, but the C domain appears to be more compact than that of TAA because of deletions at three regions forming turns and one region forming alpha-helix.
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PMID:The enzymatic and molecular characteristics of Saccharomycopsis alpha-amylase secreted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 136 6

Extracts of cell cultures labelled with [3H]leucine were incubated with human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M), a plasma proteinase inhibitor. The proteinase-alpha 2M complexes were then precipitated with immobilized monoclonal antibodies to alpha 2M and analysed by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Parallel experiments were done with methylamine-inactivated alpha 2M to check for unspecific binding of cell proteins to alpha 2M. Several 3H-labelled cell proteins bound to active, but not to inactivated, alpha 2M. Such proteins are likely to be proteinases. Putative endopeptidases of subunit Mr 112000, 78,000, 53,000, and in some experiments 88,000 and 16,000, were trapped by alpha 2M in supernatant fractions from IMR90 human fibroblasts, EBTr bovine fibroblasts and HeLa human carcinoma cells. No additional proteins were trapped in the presence of ATP. The Mr-78,000 endopeptidase was identified as calpain II by immunoblotting. At pH 5.3 putative endopeptidases of subunit Mr 80,000, 53,000 and 28,000-32,000 were trapped from IMR90-fibroblast extracts. Immunoblotting showed that both cathepsin B and cathepsin D were present in the Mr-28,000-32,000 electrophoretic bands. The use of alpha 2M and immobilized antibody to alpha 2M thus allows a rapid enrichment of endopeptidases from cell extracts. Some potentials and limitations of the method are discussed.
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PMID:Alpha 2-macroglobulin used to isolate intracellular endopeptidases from mammalian cells in culture. 246 15

The purposes of the current study were to: determine if human lenses contain calpain II (EC.34.22.17) activity, measure the effect of aging and anatomical location on lens calpain II activity, and determine if human lenses contain the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin. Both enzymatic and immunologic assays indicated that human lenses contained calpain II activity. Calpain II activity was highest in the cortex of lenses from young donors, and lowest in the nucleus of aged lenses, where it was sometimes nondetectable. In some cases, calpain II activity persisted in the nucleus of lenses from donors greater than 70 years of age. Human lenses also contained endogenous calpain inhibitor (calpastatin) in excess over calpain enzymatic activity. Calpastatin activity did not decrease during aging. Although human lenses contained approximately 3% of the calpain activity found in rat lenses, calpain II may still be a major endopeptidase in human lenses. Demonstration of calpain II in human lenses suggested that calpain II could be involved in both lens maturation and cataract formation.
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PMID:Calpain II in human lens. 253 46

Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae KEX2 gene previously isolated was characterized as the gene encoding an endopeptidase required for proteolytic processing of precursors of alpha-factor and killer toxin. In this study, the cloned KEX2 gene was introduced into the kex2 mutant cells and the KEX2 gene product expressed in these cells was partially purified from their membrane fraction. The enzyme preparation exhibits a calcium-dependent endopeptidase activity with a substrate specificity toward the carboxyl side of Lys-Arg, Arg-Arg and Pro-Arg sequences. The enzyme activity was inhibited by serine-protease inhibitors, such as DFP and PMSF, indicating that the KEX2 endopeptidase belongs to a serine-protease family. The optimal pH was determined to be around 5.5. Thus, the KEX2 endopeptidase was found to be a unique calcium-dependent serine-protease distinct from calpain and trypsin.
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PMID:Characterization of KEX2-encoded endopeptidase from yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 264 83

Red blood cells (RBC) from favic patients are characterized by (a) severe oxidative damage (contributed by autoxidation of divicine and isouramil, two pyrimidine aglycones present in fava beans) and (b) greatly increased calcium levels. In vitro, both autoxidation of divicine and calcium loading produced marked alterations of proteolytic systems in intact RBC. Specifically, autoxidizing divicine inactivated procalpain, the proenzyme species of calcium-activated cytosolic neutral proteinase, or calpain. Inactivation was much greater with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient RBC than with normal RBC. On the other hand, loading of normal and G6PD-deficient RBC with calcium resulted in conversion of procalpain to calpain and eventual autoproteolytic inactivation of calpain itself, and extensive release of acid endopeptidase activity from the membranes into the cytosol. Damaged RBC from favic patients had significantly lowered procalpain activity and an abnormal subcellular distribution of acid proteinase activity that was found mostly in the cytosol. When purified calpain was incubated with membranes from acetylphenylhydrazine (APH)-treated RBC, significant proteolysis was observed affecting mostly band 3 and hemoglobin chains, ie, the two proteins involved in the onset of aggregation of Heinz bodies. Moreover, exposure of intact RBC to 20 mmol/L APH induced depletion of procalpain activity for which the time course was inversely related to formation of Heinz bodies. These findings support the role of procalpain in protecting G6PD-deficient RBC from oxidant-induced Heinz body formation and imply that exhaustion of the procalpain-calpain system is an important step in the mechanisms of RBC damage and destruction in favism.
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PMID:Favism: impairment of proteolytic systems in red blood cells. 303 53

Damaged RBC drawn from favic patients during acute hemolysis showed marked alterations in their two major proteolytic systems. Cytosolic procalpain (i.e., the proenzyme species of Ca2+-activated neutral proteinase, or calpain) had considerably lower activity than in matched RBC from asymptomatic G6PD-deficient subjects. The total RBC activity of the three acid endopeptidases that are normally membrane-bound was not reduced in favism, but its subcellular distribution was mostly cytosolic, suggesting quantitative release from membranes. Changes in procalpain activity are the result of both autoxidation of divicine and of the intracellular elevation of Ca2+ that is found in favism. Changes in acid endopeptidase activity are the consequence of perturbed Ca2+ homeostasis. Overall, the picture shows a marked impairment of the RBC proteolytic machinery that in turn may worsen cellular damage.
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PMID:Alterations of red blood cell proteolysis in favism. 303 8

Since calcium activated neutral proteinase (calpain) is present in the central nervous system (CNS) and degrades myelin proteins, this endopeptidase has been suggested to play a role in myelin destruction in demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In the present study, calpain immunocytochemical expression was examined in Lewis rats with acute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for MS and optic neuritis. To identify cells expressing calpain, we labeled rat optic nerve sections for calpain with a polyclonal myelin calpain antibody and with monoclonal antibodies for glial (GFAP, OX42) and inflammatory (CD2, ED2, ED1, IFN-gamma) cell-specific markers. The results showed increased calpain expression in microglia (OX42) and infiltrating macrophages (ED1,2) in EAE compared to normal controls. Astrocytes constitutively expressed calpain in controls and acute EAE. Reactive astrocytes in EAE located in or near inflammatory foci, exhibited markedly increased calpain expression. Most T cells in acute EAE showed low level calpain expression while activated IFN-gamma-producing lymphocytes in inflammatory foci exhibited elevated levels of calpain expression. Thus, our results demonstrate increased calpain expression (at transcriptional and/or translational levels) in a rat model of optic neuritis. A role for calpain in myelin destruction during optic neuritis may be relevant to the pathogenesis of this disorder.
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PMID:Increased calpain expression in experimental demyelinating optic neuritis: an immunocytochemical study. 951 58

Calcium-activated neutral proteinase (calpain) is a ubiquitous, cytosolic endopeptidase which is believed to play a role in many neural functions. In the present study, we examined the transcriptional and translational expression of microcalpain (microcalpain) and millicalpain (mcalpain) isoforms and the endogenous inhibitor calpastatin in rat and bovine spinal cord, brain stem, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex tissues using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. In rat central nervous system (CNS) samples, the microcalpain and mcalpain transcriptional expression was highest in white matter-enriched areas. Calpastatin mRNA expression demonstrated no significant differences among the CNS areas. Calpain and calpastatin translational expression levels were greatest in the spinal cord. In bovine CNS, microcalpain transcriptional expression was greatest in the spinal cord, while other CNS regions showed no significant differences. Bovine mcalpain transcriptional expression was similar among various CNS regions but marginally greater in the cortex. Translational expression of bovine calpain was greatest in the brain stem, while that of calpastatin was highest in the cerebral cortex. These results indicate that calpain expression varies among different CNS regions and is often highest in white matter-enriched areas.
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PMID:Calpain expression varies among different rat and bovine central nervous system regions. 971 Feb 68

Calcium activated neutral proteinase (calpain) is an endopeptidase present in the central nervous system which degrades myelin proteins. To examine the role of calpain in demyelination associated with optic neuritis, immunocytochemical expression of calpain was evaluated in Lewis rats with experimental optic neuritis. Calpain expression was increased in activated microglia, infiltrating macrophages, activated T cells, and reactive astrocytes in experimental optic neuritis compared to controls. Calpain activity and translational expression were also examined by Western blotting studies measuring the extent of myelin protein degradation, calpain-specific fodrin proteolysis, axonal neurofilament degradation, and calpain proenzyme content. Results showed myelin associated glycoprotein and 68 kD neurofilament protein levels were significantly decreased while calpain translational expression and calpain-autolyzed fodrin levels were significantly increased in experimental optic neuritis compared to controls. Thus, increased activity and translational expression of calpain in optic neuritis may be integral to the pathogenesis of this disorder.
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PMID:A putative role for calpain in demyelination associated with optic neuritis. 1021 25

Kiwifruit cysteine proteinase inhibitors (KCPIs) were purified from the cortex and seeds of kiwifruit after inactivation of the abundant cortex cysteine proteinase actinidain. One major (KCPI1) and four minor cystatins were identified from Actinidia deliciosa ripe mature kiwifruit cortex as well as a seed KCPI from A. chinensis. The predominant cortex cystatin, KCPI1, inhibited clan CA, family C1 (papain family) cysteine proteinases (papain, chymopapain, bromelain, ficin, human cathepsins B, H and L, actinidain and the house dust mite endopeptidase 1), while cysteine proteinases belonging to other families, [clostripain (C11), streptopain (C10) and calpain (C2)] were not inhibited. Inhibition constants (K(I)) ranged between 0.001 nM for cathepsin L and 0.98 nM for endopeptidase 1. The K(I) (14 nM) for KCPI1 inhibiting actinidain is at least 2 orders of magnitude higher than for other plant proteinases measured. The cortex KCPI1 and a seed KCPI purified from seeds had the same N-terminal sequence (VAAGGWRPIESLNSAEVQDV). BLAST-matching the peptide sequence against an in-house generated Actinidia EST database, identified 81 cDNAs that exactly matched the measured KCPI1 peptide sequence. Peptide sequences of two other cortex KCPIs each exactly matched a predicted peptide sequence of a cDNA from kiwifruit. The predicted peptide sequence of KCPI1 of 116 amino acids encodes a signal peptide and does not contain cysteine. Without the signal peptide (mature protein), KCPI1 has a molecular mass of approximately 11 kDa, possesses the consensus sequence characteristic for the phytocystatins and shows the highest homology to a cystatin from Citrusxparadisi (52% identity). This is the first report of phytocystatins from the Ericales.
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PMID:Purification and characterization of phytocystatins from kiwifruit cortex and seeds. 1469 68


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