SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “AMIDASES”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 775 records · Page 43Linked to original sources

PubMed1985

Effect of dithiothreitol on activity and protein structure of human urine urokinase.

Human urine urokinase [EC 3.4.21.31] was found to be inactivated by dithiothreitol (DTT) much more severely than by 2-mercaptoethanol at the same concentration on the basis of -SH groups. Removal of DTT by dialysis restored the activities of esterase toward acetyl-glycyl-L-lysine methyl ester, plasminogen activation, and amidase toward 7-(glutaryl-glycyl-L-arginine-amido)-4-methyl coumarin. But the restoration of amidase activity was much less than that of esterase activity. The addition of DTT mediated the conversion of high molecular weight urokinase to low molecular weight urokinase, releasing several peptides. This suggests that the urokinase consists of several polypeptides linked by disulfide bonds. The molecular weight of urokinase produced with DTT was smaller than that of low molecular weight urokinase obtained by autodigestion of high molecular weight urokinase. The autodigestion was also accompanied by liberation of some peptides. But, those peptides released on autodigestion of high molecular weight urokinase were different from those appearing in the presence of DTT.

Amidohydrolases↗

PubMed1985

Difference in enzymatic properties between alpha-thrombin-staphylocoagulase complex and free alpha-thrombin.

The steady-state kinetic parameters of human alpha-thrombin and the alpha-thrombin-staphylocoagulase complex as to the chromogenic substrate, H-D-Phe-Pip-Arg-p-nitroanilide (S-2238), were determined. At pH 8.0 and 37 degrees C, the Km values for alpha-thrombin and the complex for S-2238 were 7.9 microM and 7.7 microM, respectively. The kcat of this amidase reaction catalyzed by the complex was 127 s-1, which had apparently decreased from the kcat of 197 s-1 determined for free alpha-thrombin. This difference in the kinetic parameter between alpha-thrombin and the complex was also observed using the fluorogenic substrate, Boc-Val-Pro-Arg-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide. Moreover, the fibrinogen clotting activity of the alpha-thrombin-staphylocoagulase complex was less than half that of alpha-thrombin, suggesting that the alpha-thrombin active site in the complex is different in catalytic ability from that of free alpha-thrombin. Other evidence supporting this view was as follows: The alpha-thrombin-staphylocoagulase complex is insensitive to antithrombin III, the complex shows much weaker binding to hirudin, as compared to free alpha-thrombin, and the amidase pH-profiles of the complex and free alpha-thrombin differ from each other. These results indicate that the microenvironment of the active site of alpha-thrombin is significantly altered by the complex formation with staphylocoagulase.

Antithrombin III↗

PubMed2001

Generation of a broad esterolytic subtilisin using combined molecular evolution and periplasmic expression.

Concomitant activity improvement of an evolved enzyme toward two very different ester substrates was achieved when a unique combination of functional periplasmic enzyme expression in Escherichia coli, random mutagenesis, DNA shuffling and cell-based kinetic screenings was applied. Specifically, we focused on the conversion of subtilisin E into an enzyme with broader esterase activity as opposed to its native amidase activity. Cell-based microtiter assays were performed on N-acetyl-D,L-phenylalanine p-nitrophenyl ester (Phe-NPE) and sucrose 1'-adipate (S1'A), as well as on the tetrapeptide amide substrate N-succinyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Phe-p-nitroanilide. After a single modified cycle of directed molecular evolution, we isolated a number of clones exhibiting increased activity toward Phe-NPE. In the following rounds of screenings, mutants with improved activity on Phe-NPE were also tested on S1'A. Three mutants were identified with increased esterolytic activity on Phe-NPE and S1'A, while having similar amidase activity to that of the parental enzymes. Because the two ester substrates are structurally distinct, we have evolved a more general esterolytic subtilisin and this may have important applications in synthesis.

Amidohydrolases↗

PubMed1994

Inhibitor regulation of tissue kallikrein activity in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Tissue kallikrein (TK) and alpha 1-antitrypsin (AT)/TK complexes can be detected in SF from patients with RA if components of the fluids which interfere with the detection of TK are removed. alpha 2-Macroglobulin (alpha 2-M) in SF was demonstrated to contain trapped proteases which were still active in amidase assays. Removal of alpha 2-M from RA SF reduced their amidase activity. However, at least some of the remaining activity was due to TK because it was soya bean trypsin inhibitor resistant and trasylol sensitive and was partly removed by affinity chromatography on anti-TK sepharose. Removal of RF from the fluids reduced the values obtained for TK levels by ELISA. Addition of SF to human urinary kallikrein (HUK) considerably reduced the levels of TK detected suggesting the presence of a TK ELISA inhibitor in the fluids. Removal of components of > 300 kDa from SF markedly reduced the TK ELISA inhibitory activity and increased the values for both the TK and alpha 1-AT/TK levels in fluids as measured by ELISA. It is considered this novel inhibitor does not bind to the active site of TK but rather binds to the site reactive with anti-TK antibodies.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Proteolytic enzymes in seminal plasma of domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo).

Protease and basic amidase activity was found in the seminal plasma of the domestic turkey. Amidase activity, measured through use of N-alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide-HCL (BAPNA), was 23-28 times greater for turkey than for guinea fowl or chicken. Within the reproductive tract, seminal plasma from the vas deferens had much greater activity than testicular or epididymal fluids. Turkey seminal plasma enzyme (TSPE) purified by chromatography or isoelectric focusing showed three protein bands by PAGE, each resolving on SDS-PAGE into two subunits with molecular weights of approximately 28,000-32,000 and 38,000-44,000. One of the three proteins also contained a larger subunit (M(r) 76,000-81,000) thought to be transferrin. Turkey acrosin consisted of three subunits with molecular weights below 20,500. Acrosin, but not TSPE, was visualized in native gels with N-alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine-beta-naphthylamide (BANA)/Fast Garnet stain. Michaelis constants (BAPNA) for TSPE, acrosin, and trypsin were 2.41 +/- 0.12 x 10(-4) M (n = 5), 4.96-6.03 x 10(-4) M (n = 2), and 6.76 +/- 0.95 x 10(-4) M (n = 6), respectively. TSPE, like acrosin and trypsin, was inhibited by benzamidine but not iodoacetamide. While all natural trypsin inhibitors tested inhibited acrosin, TSPE was not inhibited by ovomucoid from chicken or turkey egg white.

Acrosin↗

PubMed1989

Identification of a tissue kallikrein in human polymorphonuclear leucocytes.

We have identified a tissue kallikrein in polymorphonuclear (PMN) leucocytes of normal human blood and bone marrow by immunocytochemistry, radioimmunoassay and enzymology. Immunoreactive tissue kallikrein was visualized in the mature neutrophil leucocytes and in immature forms such as metamyelocytes and myelocytes. No tissue kallikrein was detected in eosinophil leucocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages, megakaryocytes and platelets. So far, we have failed to observe immunoreactivity to tissue kallikrein in basophils. The presence of tissue kallikrein in extracts prepared from PMN leucocytes isolated from peripheral blood was demonstrated by immunodiffusion, dot-blotting and by radioimmunoassay. The kininogenase and amidase activity of the extracts resembled that of tissue kallikrein in being resistant to soya bean trypsin inhibitor and sensitive to trasylol. The amidase activity attributable to tissue kallikrein was completely inhibited by specific antisera.

Amidohydrolases↗

PubMed1994

Purification and characterization of an alkaline elastase from Myxococcus xanthus.

An extracellular elastase, termed Myxococcus xanthus alkaline protease 1 (MAP1), has been purified from M. xanthus DK1622 culture supernatants by a combination of ion-exchange and affinity chromatographies. It consists of a single peptide chain of 39 kDa. The elastolytic activity was totally suppressed by 10 mM 1,10-phenanthroline and the enzyme may then be classified as a metalloprotease. Its pH optimum was estimated to be 8.2 with both elastin-orcein and succinyl-Ala3 p-nitroanilide as substrates. Despite its low pI (5.2), MAP1 was adsorbed on elastin at 80%, a result which privileges hydrophobic interactions between MAP1 and elastin rather than salt bridges, as for known basic elastases. About 80% of the original amidasic and elastolytic activities were conserved after a 30-min prior incubation of the enzyme at 40 degrees C; however, 70% of the amidasic activity is measured, instead of 15% for the elastolytic activity, after 30 min at 50 degrees C. Thermal denaturation at this temperature may prevent adsorption of the enzyme on elastin without any important change of the elastase structure. MAP1 readily hydrolyzes the Gly23-Phe24 bond in the oxidized insulin B chain; the peptide bonds Ala14-Leu15, Leu15-Tyr16, Phe24-Phe25, Phe25-Tyr26 are also cleaved, suggesting a primary specificity of the enzyme for hydrophobic or aromatic residues at the first amino acid towards the C-terminus from the cleavage site (P'1 position) [Schechter, I. & Berger, A. (1967) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 27, 157-162]. This hypothesis is consistent with the fact that Ala2-Phe-Ala and Ala3-Phe-Ala are hydrolyzed even though tri-alanine to hexa-alanine oligomers are not. The evidence of an elastase with the same molecular mass and pI as MAP1 is given during fruiting body development in submerged culture of M. xanthus. The fact that aromatic amino acids have been found to be the most representative of A-signal [Kuspa, A., Plamann, L. & Kaiser, D. (1992) J. Bacteriol. 174, 3319-3326] is consistent with the hypothesis that, regarding its specificity, MAP1 is likely to play a role in development of myxobacteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1984

Catabolism of N-acylethanolamine phospholipids by dog brain preparations.

N- Acylphosphatidylethanolamine , incubated with dog brain homogenate or microsomes, was hydrolyzed to phosphatidic acid and N-acylethanolamine by a phosphodiesterase of the phospholipase D type. In the absence of F-, phosphatidic acid was further hydrolyzed to diacylglycerol and Pi while N-acylethanolamine was hydrolyzed by an amidase to fatty acid and ethanolamine. The phosphodiesterase showed an alkaline pH optimum and was also active towards N- acetylphosphatidylethanolamine , N-acyl-lysophosphatidylethanolamine, and glycerophospho (N-acyl)ethanolamine but showed little activity toward phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. Ca2+ stimulated slightly at low concentrations but inhibited at higher concentrations. Triton X-100 stimulated the hydrolysis of N- acylphosphatidylethanolamine , inhibited that of N-acyl-lysophosphatidylethanolamine and glycerophospho (N-acyl)ethanolamine, and had no effect on phosphatidylethanolamine or phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis. The N-acylethanolamine hydrolase (amidase) was also present in the microsomal fraction and exhibited a pH optimum of 10.0. In addition to hydrolysis by the phosphodiesterase, N- acylphosphatidylethanolamine was also catabolized by microsomal phospholipases A1 and/or A2 to N-acyl-lysophosphatidylethanolamine, some of which was further hydrolyzed to glycerophospho (N-acyl)ethanolamine.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Germination-specific cortex-lytic enzymes from Clostridium perfringens S40 spores: time of synthesis, precursor structure and regulation of enzymatic activity.

Germination-specific enzymes, an amidase and a muramidase, of Clostridium perfringens S40 were synthesized at the time of forespore formation during sporulation. The amidase had a unique precursor structure consisting of four domains: the N-terminal pre-sequence, the N-terminal pro-sequence, mature enzyme and the C-terminal pro-sequence. The N-terminal pre-sequence and the C-terminal pro-sequence were sequentially processed at the time of development of phase-bright spores, and the resulting inactive pro-enzyme was activated by cleavage of the N-terminal pro-sequence with a specific protease during germination. A possible mechanism for the regulation of activity of muramidase, which is produced as a mature form and does not need processing for activation, is presented.

Amidohydrolases↗

PubMed2001

Isolation and phenotypic characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pseudorevertants containing suppressors of the catabolite repression control-defective crc-10 allele.

The amiE gene encodes an aliphatic amidase capable of converting fluoroacetamide to the toxic compound fluoroacetate and is one of many genes whose expression is subject to catabolite repression control in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The protein product of the crc gene, Crc, is required for repression of amiE and most other genes subject to catabolite repression control in this bacterium. When grown in a carbon source such as succinate, wild-type P. aeruginosa is insensitive to fluoroacetamide (due to repression of amiE expression). In contrast, mutants harboring the crc-10 null allele cannot grow in the presence of fluoroacetamide (due to lack of repression of amiE). Selection for succinate-dependent, fluoroacetamide-resistant derivatives of the crc-10 mutant yielded three independent pseudorevertants containing suppressors that restored a degree of catabolite repression control. Synthesis of Crc protein was not reestablished in these pseudorevertants. All three suppressors of crc-10 were extragenic, and all three also suppressed a Delta crc::tetA allele. In each of the three pseudorevertants, catabolite repression control of amidase expression was restored. Catabolite repression control of mannitol dehydrogenase production was also restored in two of the three isolates. None of the suppressors restored repression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase or pyocyanin production.

Amidohydrolases↗

PubMed1997

Ibuprofen inhibits the metabolism of the endogenous cannabimimetic agent anandamide.

A measure of the metabolism of anandamide, an endogenous cannabimimetic agent, by rat cerebellar membrane preparations was obtained by following the time-dependent reduction in potency of this compound towards inhibition of binding of the high-affinity cannabinoid agonist ligand [3H]WIN 55212-2 to cannabinoid receptors. Thus for example, incubation of the membranes with 100 nM anandamide for 0, 10 and 30 min. prior to addition of [3H]WIN 55212-2 and phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride (to inhibit the activity of anandamide amidase, thereby blocking further anandamide metabolism during the binding assay) produced 57 +/- 3, 38 +/- 5 and 19 +/- 7% inhibition, respectively, of [3H]WIN 55212-2 binding. This time-dependent effect was blocked by ibuprofen but not by acetyl salicylic acid, sulindac, acetaminophen or to any significant extent by ketoprofen and naproxen. Preliminary experiments using a direct assay of anandamide amidase with [14C]anandamide as ligand gave an IC50 value for ibuprofen of approximately 400 microM. The potency of ibuprofen as an inhibitor of anandamide metabolism was of the same order of magnitude as required for inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 in cell-free systems and of the peak plasma concentrations of this drug following a 2 x 200 mg dose regimen. It is concluded that following therapeutic doses of ibuprofen, the metabolism of anandamide may be affected.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMed1991

Enhancement by a serum factor of the immunoaccessibility of an enterobacterial porin protein domain.

Monoclonal antibody (MAb) generated against the domain Po I on the outer membrane (OM) porin (Po) protein of an Escherichia coli 055 strain showed weak binding by the OM in ELISA. Human serum and sera from different animal species enhanced the MAb binding in ELISA when the antibody was incubated together with serum or the OM was pretreated with serum. Human serum also enhanced the MAb binding when coats were prepared by using OMs from various cross-reacting bacteria. The ability of human serum to amplify the MAb binding by OMs was similar to that of lysostaphin. Amplification by serum was not observed when MAbs against three other enterobacterial OM proteins were tested. The amplifying serum factor was destroyed by heating (100 degrees C) and by mercaptoethanol. It appeared in fractions which corresponded to an apparent molecular weight of 75,000-80,000 after gel permeation, and, after ion-exchange chromatography, in fractions which contained a protein of 60 kD when analysed by SDS-PAGE. These data support the notion that the serum-induced enhancement of the anti-Po I MAb binding was due to a previously described serum amidase (N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase) which has peptidoglycan-degrading activity. The effects of the amplifying serum factor may influence the antibody levels which are measured when OMs from Gram-negative bacteria are used as antigen in a serodiagnostic test.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed2007

Purification and characterization of the cysteine proteinases in the latex of Vasconcellea spp.

Latex of all Vasconcellea species analyzed to date exhibits higher proteolytic amidase activities, generally attributed to cysteine proteinases, than the latex of Carica papaya. In the present study, we show that this higher activity is correlated with a higher concentration of enzymes in the latex of Vasconcellea fruits, but in addition also results from the presence of other cysteine proteinases or isoforms. In contrast to the cysteine proteinases present in papaya latex, which have been extensively studied, very little is known about the cysteine proteinases of Vasconcellea spp. In this investigation, several cDNA sequences coding for cysteine proteinases in Vasconcellea x heilbornii and Vasconcellea stipulata were determined using primers based on conserved sequences. In silico translation showed that they hold the characteristic features of all known papain-class cysteine proteinases, and a phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of several papain and chymopapain homologues in these species. Ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration procedures were applied on latex of V. x heilbornii in order to characterize its cysteine proteinases at the protein level. Five major protein fractions (VXH-I-VXH-V) revealing very high amidase activities (between 7.5 and 23.3 nkat x mg protein(-1)) were isolated. After further purification, three of them were N-terminally sequenced. The observed microheterogeneity in the N-terminal and cDNA sequences reveals the presence of several distinct cysteine proteinase isoforms in the latex of Vasconcellea spp.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1986

Difference in enzymatic properties between "staphylothrombin" and free alpha-thrombin.

Bacterial protein, staphylocoagulase, binds stoichiometrically to human prothrombin resulting in a coagulant complex, staphylothrombin. The enzymatic properties of staphylothrombin differ from those of alpha-thrombin in their substrate specificities toward natural and synthetic substrates, in addition to their interaction with protease inhibitors. In order to obtain information about the region of staphylocoagulase that interacts with human prothrombin, staphylocoagulase was cleaved by alpha-chymotrypsin. This limited alpha-chymotryptic cleavage of staphylocoagulase yielded three large fragments, fragments of 43, 30, and 20 kDa. The 43-kDa fragment exhibited a high affinity for human prothrombin (Kd = 1.7 nM), which is comparable to the affinity observed using intact staphylocoagulase (Kd = 0.46 nM). A complex of the 43-kDa fragment and prothrombin possessed both clotting and amidase activities essentially identical to those observed in a complex of intact staphylocoagulase and prothrombin. The 30-kDa fragment exhibited weaker affinity for prothrombin (Kd = 120 nM). While a complex of this fragment and prothrombin did not exhibit clotting activity, it nonetheless possessed a weak amidase activity. The 20-kDa fragment was found only to bind to prothrombin. The NH2-terminal sequence analyses of these fragments revealed that the 43-kDa fragment constitutes the NH2-terminal portion of staphylocoagulase, and contains the 30-kDa and 20-kDa fragments. It is therefore concluded that the functional region of staphylocoagulase for binding and activation of prothrombin is localized in the NH2-terminal region of the intact protein. The 43-kDa fragment contains 324 amino acids with a molecular weight of 38,098. The 43-kDa fragment has an unusual amino acid composition based on the sequence, in which the sum of Asp (28 residues), Asn (22), Glu (35), Gln (9), and Lys (52) residues accounts for more than 45% of the total residues. A comparison of the amino acid sequence of the 43-kDa fragment with that of streptokinase did not reveal any obvious sequence homology. There was also no sequence homology with those of trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, and elastase.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1995

Activity of n-propyl pyrazinoate against pyrazinamide-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis: investigations into mechanism of action of and mechanism of resistance to pyrazinamide.

The mechanism of action of pyrazinamide (PZA) is not known. One hypothesis is that PZA functions as a prodrug of pyrazinoic acid. Susceptibility to PZA correlates with amidase activity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate in question. PZA-resistant isolates retain susceptibility in vitro to pyrazinoic acid and n-propyl pyrazinoate. Esters of pyrazinoic acid appear to circumvent the requirement for activation by mycobacterial amidase. The MICs of n-propyl pyrazinoate for M. tuberculosis isolates are lower than those of pyrazinoic acid. Further studies to assess the effects of modifications of the alcohol and pyrazine moieties of pyrazinoate esters on in vitro and in vivo antituberculosis activity are under way. This may lead to a candidate compound with enhanced activity against both PZA-susceptible and PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates suitable for clinical development.

Amidohydrolases↗

PubMed1989

Degradation of Acetonitrile by Pseudomonas putida.

A bacterium capable of utilizing high concentrations of acetonitrile as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen was isolated from soil and identified as Pseudomonas putida. This bacterium could also utilize butyronitrile, glutaronitrile, isobutyronitrile, methacrylonitrile, propionitrile, succinonitrile, valeronitrile, and some of their corresponding amides, such as acetamide, butyramide, isobutyramide, methacrylamide, propionamide, and succinamide as growth substrates. Acetonitrile-grown cells oxidized acetonitrile with a K(m) of 40.61 mM. Mass balance studies with [C]acetonitrile indicated that nearly 66% of carbon of acetonitrile was released as CO(2) and 14% was associated with the biomass. Metabolites of acetonitrile in the culture medium were acetic acid and ammonia. The acetate formed in the early stages of growth completely disappeared in the later stages. Cell extracts of acetonitrile-grown cells contained activities corresponding to nitrile hydratase and amidase, which mediate the breakdown of actonitrile into acetic acid and ammonia. Both enzymes were intracellular and inducible and hydrolyzed a wide range of substrates. The specific activity of amidase was at least 150-fold higher than the activity of the enzyme nitrile hydratase.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1992

Metabolism of benzonitrile and butyronitrile by Klebsiella pneumoniae.

A strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae that used aliphatic nitriles as the sole source of nitrogen was adapted to benzonitrile as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Gas chromatographic and mass spectral analyses of culture filtrates indicated that K. pneumoniae metabolized 8.4 mM benzonitrile to 4.0 mM benzoic acid and 2.7 mM ammonia. In addition, butyronitrile was metabolized to butyramide and ammonia. The isolate also degraded mixtures of benzonitrile and aliphatic nitriles. Cell extracts contained nitrile hydratase and amidase activities. The enzyme activities were higher with butyronitrile and butyramide than with benzonitrile and benzamide, and amidase activities were twofold higher than nitrile hydratase activities. K. pneumoniae appears promising for the bioremediation of sites contaminated with aliphatic and aromatic nitriles.

Amidohydrolases↗

PubMed1995

Cloning and characterization of a conjugated bile acid hydrolase gene from Clostridium perfringens.

The gene encoding a conjugated bile acid hydrolase (CBAH) from Clostridium perfringens 13 has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and its nucleotide sequence has been determined. Nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequence analyses indicated that the gene product is related to two previously characterized amidases, a CBAH from Lactobacillus plantarum (40% identity) and a penicillin V amidase from Bacillus sphaericus (34% identity). The product is apparently unrelated to a CBAH from C. perfringens for which N-terminal sequence information was determined. The gene product was purified from recombinant E. coli and used to raise antibody in rabbits. The presence of the protein in C. perfringens was then confirmed by immunoblot analysis. The protein was shown to have a native molecular weight of 147,000 and a subunit molecular weight of 36,100, indicating its probable existence as a tetramer. Disruption of the chromosomal C. perfringens CBAH gene with a chloramphenicol resistance cartridge resulted in a mutant strain which retained partial CBAH activity. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by enzymatic activity staining and immunoblotting indicated that the mutant strain no longer expressed the cloned CBAH (CBAH-1) but did express at least one additional CBAH (CBAH-2). CBAH-2 was immunologically distinct from CBAH-1, and its mobility on native polyacrylamide gels was different from that of CBAH-1. Furthermore, comparisons of pH optima and substrate specificities of CBAH activities from recombinant E. coli and wild-type and mutant C. perfringens provided further evidence for the presence of multiple CBAH activities in C. perfringens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗