Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.24.27 (thermolysin)
 1,894 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The assignment of five disulfide bonds in the alpha subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) using partial reduction and S-[14C]carboxymethylation has been reported earlier (Mise, T., and Bahl, O. P. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 8516-8522). Employing a similar approach, we have determined the locations of six disulfide bonds in hCG-beta. Two partially reduced and S-[14C]carboxymethylated hCG-beta derivatives, DS1.4-hCG-beta and DS3.4-hCG-beta in which on the average 1.4 and 3.4 disulfide bonds were modified, respectively, were prepared. The 14C-labeled derivatives were then completely reduced and S-carboxymethylated with nonradioactive iodoacetic acid and subjected to hydrolysis with trypsin. The radioactive peptides were purified by gel filtration and high voltage paper electrophoresis. The tryptic peptides containing two or more S-[14C]carboxymethylcysteines were further degraded using various proteolytic enzymes such as thermolysin, carboxypeptidase A and Y, cathespin C, and subtilisin to obtain individual S-[14C]carboxymethylcysteine-containing peptides. From the specific radioactivities of S-[14C]carboxymethylcysteines in DS3.4-hCG-beta, four out of six disulfide bonds, 9-90, 26-110, 34-88, and 93-100 were assigned. Similar data from DS1.4-hCG-beta gave the locations of the other two disulfide bonds, 23-72 and 38-57, while confirming the locations of four disulfide bonds derived from the radioactivity distribution in DS3.4-hCG-beta. Thus, all six disulfide bonds in hCG-beta have been located. The results of controlled reduction and S-[14C]alkylation also indicate that disulfide bond 93-100 is the most reactive, followed by disulfide bond 26-110, and that the least reactive among all is 34-88.
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PMID:Assignment of disulfide bonds in the beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin. 724 Feb 31

A nicked form of human chorionic gonadotropin (nicked hCG), in which only one peptide bond between residues 47 and 48 (-Gly-Val-) of beta-subunit is cleaved, has been found in the urine and blood of pregnant women. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of nicked hCG and the localization of the nicking enzyme for hCG. First, to determine what type of protease nicks hCG, an in vitro proteolytic study using various proteases was performed. Amino-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the beta-subunit purified from protease-treated hCG indicated that thermolysin actively nicks hCG. Secondly, to determine which tissues are related to the formation of nicked hCG, the distribution of radioactivity in various tissues after i.v. administration of radiolabeled hCG to female rats was examined. The radioactivity accumulated predominantly in the kidney (17%), liver (9.3%) and ovary (0.9%) after 30 min of injection. Analysis of molecular species of beta-radiolabeled hCG in various tissues and body fluids, using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by autoradiography, indicated that a nicked hCG-like molecule was found in the kidney, predominantly, as well as in the serum and urine. To examine the role of the kidney in producing nicked hCG, hCG was incubated with rat kidney particulate fraction (KPF). Immunoblot analysis of KPF-treated hCG indicated that KPF produced a nicked hCG-like molecule. Furthermore, the possibility that placental trophoblast cells produce nicked hCG was also examined using the choriocarcinoma cell BeWo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:The occurrence of nicked human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) by a thermolytic endoprotease. 755 Jan 12