Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.24.3 (collagenase)
 18,340 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

Extracts of cartilage have been reported to inhibit many serine proteinases and metalloenzymes. Such inhibition may be important in protecting cartilage against degradation by chondrocytic proteinases such as collagenase, stromelysin and by leukocytic proteases, such as elastase. We report here isolation and partial characterization of a 17-kD elastase inhibitor from 0.5 M NaCl extracts of both nasal septum cartilage and articular cartilage, which inhibits elastase and represents 0.08% of the weight of nasal cartilage and 0.002% of the weight of articular cartilage. The protein was highly specific for elastase and did not inhibit cartilage metalloproteinases, suggesting that it may be mainly directed toward protecting cartilage against leukocytic proteases. The inhibitor had a blocked amino-terminus, was high in serine and glycine and lacked carbohydrate. The ease with which the inhibitor was extracted from cartilage suggests that it may function in vivo as a highly abundant elastase inhibitor which is secreted into synovial fluid from cartilage. The inhibitor was shown to be synthesized by bovine articular cartilage in explant culture and nearly all of the metabolically labeled material was secreted into the culture media. The inhibitor cross-reacted with polyclonal antibodies to bovine neck ligament alpha-elastin and antibodies to the inhibitor reacted with bovine neck ligament elastin. The properties of this inhibitor are different than those of any other reported cartilage derived inhibitor.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of an abundant elastase inhibitor from NaCl extracts of bovine nasal septa and articular cartilage. 130 43

Tryptase from human mast cells has been shown (in vitro) to catalyze the destruction of fibrinogen and high-molecular-weight kininogen as well as the activation of C3a and collagenase. Although large amounts of tryptase are released in tissues by degranulating mast cells and levels as high as 1000 ng/ml have been measured in the circulation following systemic anaphylaxis, no specific physiologic inhibitor has yet been found for the protease. The current work tests several more inhibitors for their effects on tryptase and examines any effect of tryptase on these inhibitors. First, antileukoprotease and low-molecular-weight elastase inhibitor from human lung and hirudin and antithrombin III had no effect on tryptase activity in vitro. Second, the possibility that tryptase, being insensitive to the effects of inhibitors, might instead destroy them was also considered. Tryptase failed to cleave and inactivate antileukoprotease, low-molecular-weight elastase inhibitor, alpha 1 protease inhibitor, alpha 2 macroglobulin, and antithrombin III. Third, based on the knowledge that tryptase stability is regulated by its interaction with heparin, antithrombin III was used as a model heparin-binding protein to demonstrate that a protein competitor for heparin-binding sites, presumably by displacement of tryptase, destabilizes this enzyme. Conversely, tryptase, in excess, blocked the binding of antithrombin III to heparin, thereby attenuating the heparin-mediated inhibition of thrombin by antithrombin III.
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PMID:Interactions of human mast cell tryptase with biological protease inhibitors. 168 95

The present study demonstrates that a granule fraction derived from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes possesses elastinolytic activity, and that the latter can be separated from the collagenase present in these cells. Properties of the human leukocyte elastase differ sufficiently from those of pancreatic elastases of different species as to suggest that the former enzyme is a distinct and separate entity. Thus, soybean trypsin inhibitor and salivary kallikrein inhibitor (Trasylol) fail to inhibit elastolysis by the pancreatic enzyme, but do inhibit the leukocyte elastinolytic agent. Elastolysis by human leukocyte granule extract does not show significant salt inhibition, whereas that catalyzed by pancreatic elastase is markedly reduced when ionic strength is increased to physiological levels. The leukocyte granule extract is at least 10 times more resistant to serum elastase inhibitor than is the purified pancreatic enzyme. Both enzymes show optimal elastolysis above pH 8.5, but the leukocyte factor still retains 50% of its maximal elastolytic activity at pH 6-7; whereas the activity of the pancreatic enzyme falls to 10% or less of its maximal value under the same conditions. The foregoing characteristics of the human leukocyte elastase suggest that it, rather than pancreatic (serum) elastase, may mediate pathological elastolysis during acute arteritis in man. In keeping with this suggestion, the present experiments also show that elastica staining of human arterial vessels is reduced by incubation of tissues with human leukocyte granule extracts in vitro.
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PMID:Mediators of inflammation in leukocyte lysosomes. IX. Elastinolytic activity in granules of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. 530 65

Alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (A1-Pi) is the main serine proteinase inhibitor found in human plasma and is a potent elastase inhibitor in various tissues, including lung. A1-Pi is expressed and induced in liver during inflammatory responses but can also be produced by epithelial cells. Since hepatocyte A1-Pi production is stimulated by interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other gp130-cytokines, such as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and oncostatin M (OM), we investigated the role of these cytokines in regulating A1-Pi in lung epithelial cells. We show that OM, a monocyte and T cell product, can specifically and potently induce A1-Pi production in lung-derived A549 alveolar (epithelial) cells, as well as in liver-derived HepG2 cells. Both A1-Pi protein (as detected by ELISA and Western blots) and mRNA levels were enhanced 20-fold to 30-fold in A549 cells. OM was also able to stimulate the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in these cells. Interestingly, other members of the IL-6 family (IL-6 and LIF) had little or no effect on A549 cells, and proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) also had no stimulatory effect on A1-Pi synthesis in A549 cells. Costimulation with IL-1 beta resulted in a decrease in A1-Pi production from OM-stimulated A549 cells. However, IL-6 production was synergistically enhanced. OM was also able to stimulate A1-Pi production from a bronchial epithelial primary cell line, whereas an intestinal epithelial cell line HT29 responded to IL-6 but not OM. These results suggest that lung levels A1-Pi could be derived not only from liver and inflammatory cells but also from epithelial cells, which can be upregulated on stimulation by OM. This may have implications for regulation of local activity of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) in such diseases as emphysema and cystic fibrosis.
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PMID:Oncostatin M, but not interleukin-6 or leukemia inhibitory factor, stimulates expression of alpha1-proteinase inhibitor in A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. 919 1

Bullous pemphigoid is a blistering disorder associated with autoantibodies directed against two components of hemidesmosomes, BP180 and BP230. Autoantibodies to the extracellular collagenous domain of BP180 are thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In a murine model of bullous pemphigoid, neutrophil elastase and 92 kDa gelatinase (matrix metalloproteinase 9) have been implicated in subepidermal blister formation via proteolytic degradation of BP180. In this study we sought to elucidate the contribution of these two enzymes to subepidermal blister formation by assessing the expression, localization, and activity of the two proteases in lesional skin, serum samples, and blister fluids obtained from 17 patients with bullous pemphigoid. The results indicate that (i) neutrophil elastase is found in skin biopsy specimens from bullous pemphigoid lesions and is recovered as active enzyme in blister fluids, and (ii) although proform of matrix metalloproteinase 9 is present in lesional skin, it is present only as proenzyme in blister fluids, which also contain high levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. Next, the capacity of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and neutrophil elastase to degrade a recombinant protein corresponding to the extracellular collagenous domain of the BP180 was studied. Our data illustrate that (i) recombinant matrix metalloproteinase 9, neutrophil elastase, and blister fluid from bullous pemphigoid patients are all able to hydrolyze recombinant BP180; (ii) the pattern of recombinant BP180 proteolysis with blister fluid was similar to that obtained with neutrophil elastase; and (iii) recombinant BP180 degradation by blister fluid could be inhibited by chloromethylketone, a specific elastase inhibitor, but not by batimastat, a wide spectrum matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor. Our results confirm the importance of neutrophil elastase but not matrix metalloproteinase 9 in the direct cleavage of BP180 autoantigen and subepidermal blister formation in human bullous pemphigoid.
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PMID:Respective contribution of neutrophil elastase and matrix metalloproteinase 9 in the degradation of BP180 (type XVII collagen) in human bullous pemphigoid. 1171 Sep 17

EPI-hNE4 (depelstat) is a potent inhibitor of human neutrophil elastase derived from human inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor and designed to control the excess proteolytic activity in the sputum of cystic fibrosis patients. We analyzed its resistance to the proteolysis it is likely to encounter at inflammatory sites in vivo. EPI-hNE4 resisted hydrolysis by neutrophil matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and serine proteases that are released from activated neutrophils in inflammatory lung secretions, including MMP-8 and MMP-9, and the elastase-related protease 3 and cathepsin G. It also resisted degradation by epithelial lung cell MMP-7 but was broken down by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa metalloelastase pseudolysin, when used in a purified system, but not when this protease competed with equimolar amounts of neutrophil elastase. We also investigated the inhibitory properties of EPI-hNE4 at the surface of purified blood neutrophils and in the sputum of cystic fibrosis patients where neutrophil elastase is in both a soluble and a gel phase. The elastase at the neutrophil surface was fully inhibited by EPI-hNE4 and formed soluble complexes. The elastase in cystic fibrosis sputum supernatants was inhibited by stoichiometric amounts of EPI-hNE4, allowing titration of the protease. But the percentage of inhibition in whole sputum homogenates varied from 50 to 100%, depending on the sample tested. EPI-hNE4 was rapidly cleaved by the digestive protease pepsin in vitro. Therefore, EPI-hNE4 seems to be an elastase inhibitor suitable for use in aerosols to treat patients with cystic fibrosis.
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PMID:EPI-hNE4, a proteolysis-resistant inhibitor of human neutrophil elastase and potential anti-inflammatory drug for treating cystic fibrosis. 1662 47