PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “AMINOPEPTIDASES”

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 1,171 records · Page 65Linked to original sources

Puromycin insensitive leucyl-specific aminopeptidase (PILSAP) is required for the development of vascular as well as hematopoietic system in embryoid bodies.

We have shown that puromycin insensitive leucyl-specific aminopeptidase (PILSAP) is required for regulation of angiogenesis. However, it remains unclear whether PILSAP plays a role in endothelial cell (EC) differentiation. We examined the role of PILSAP by using an embryoid bodies (EBs) culture system. Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Flk-1) showed two expression peaks on days 4 and 10 of culture. These two peaks represent populations of mesodermal precursors and mature ECs, respectively. Endothelial markers such as VE-cadherin, CD34, CD31 and Tie2 followed the first peak of Flk-1. Interestingly, the expression of PILSAP showed a pattern similar to that of Flk-1. ES cells transfected with mutant PILSAP (mtPILSAP) cDNA of a dominant negative activity organized less vascular structure and showed decreased levels of vascular lineage markers. The similar results were obtained in EBs treated with leucinethiol, a specific inhibitor of leucine aminopeptidase or siRNA for PILSAP. However, Flk-1 expression was unaffected on day 4. The expression of markers for hematopoietic lineage and muscle cells in mtPILSAP-EBs was also reduced. These results suggest that although PILSAP may not function in the initial generation of Flk-1 positive mesodermal precursors, it dose play a role in growth of vascular, hematopoietic, and muscular lineage population from those precursors.

Animals↗

The interrelationships between acid phosphatase, aminopeptidase, diamine oxidase, citric acid, beta-glucuronidase, pH and zinc in human prostatic fluid.

Biochemical analysis of 328 human prostatic fluid samples were performed. The urea concentration of 69 samples was similar to that of serum and not indicative of significant contamination with urine. The pH of normal fluids was acidic (mean pH = 6.7). The interrelationships between zinc, citrate, acid phosphatase aminopeptidase, beta-glucuronidase, diamine oxidase and pH were investigated by factor analysis. Two significant factors were extracted, the first accounted for 89% of their common variance and the second for 11%. Zinc, citrate, acid phosphatase and aminopeptidase were positively and pH was negatively related to factor one. Beta-glucuronidase was positively related to factor two and diamine oxidase was largely independent of both factors. It was concluded that variables related to factor one share a common secretory control and mechanism, that some other mechanism operates in the case of beta-glucuronidase and that diamine oxidase may not be a true secretory product of the prostate.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Purification and partial characterization of an intracellular aminopeptidase from Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus strain ACA-DC 114.

An intracellular aminopeptidase from Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus strain ACA-DC 114, isolated from traditional Greek yoghurt, was purified by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-100. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 89,000. It was active over a pH range 4.5-9.5 and had optimum activity on L-lysyl-4-nitroanilide at pH 6.5 and 35 degrees C with Km = 1.80 mmol/l; above 55 degrees C the enzyme activity declined rapidly. The aminopeptidase was capable of degrading substrates by hydrolysis of the N-terminal amino acid; it had very low endopeptidase and no carboxypeptidase activity. The enzyme was strongly inactivated by EDTA. Serine and sulphydryl group reagents had no effect on enzyme activity.

Aminopeptidases↗

Localization of a narrow-specificity thyroliberin hydrolyzing pyroglutamate aminopeptidase in synaptosomal membranes of guinea-pig brain.

In this paper we report the presence of a particulate pyroglutamate aminopeptidase in guinea-pig brain tissue. This activity appears to reside in the synaptosomal membrane and could be released from the membrane by treatment with papain or Triton X-100. By contrast with a previously described broad-specificity soluble pyroglutamate aminopeptidase from guinea-pig brain tissue, the enzyme released from the synaptosomal membrane preparation removed pyroglutamic acid from thyroliberin, acid thyroliberin and less than Glu-His-Gly alone of the peptides tested. Unlike the soluble tissue enzyme the present enzyme was inhibited by the presence of EDTA and the activity released from synaptosomal membranes by papain was found to have a relative molecular mass of 230 000, almost one order of magnitude greater than that reported for the soluble enzyme.

Aminopeptidases↗

Purification and characterization of two aminopeptidases from guinea-pig small-intestinal mucosa. Cavian intestinal tripeptide hydrolases.

Two electrophoretically distinct cytosolic peptide hydrolases from guinea-pig small-intestinal mucosa have been highly purified by a six-step procedure comprising extraction from mucosal homogenate, ammonium sulphate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, chromatofocusing, calcium phosphate chromatography and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. They have similar apparent molecular masses as determined by gel filtration (Mr = 68 000) or by sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis (Mr = 72 000). Both are aminopeptidases with optimum activity at pH 7.6. They are strongly inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, o-phenanthroline and bestatin. Although both hydrolyse some dipeptides they have a distinctive kinetic preference for tripeptides composed of aromatic or non-polar residues. Their affinities for some tripeptides are particularly high and also the hydrolysis of some substrates exhibits biphasic kinetics. These two aminotripeptidases are similar but they can be differentiated from each other and from a number of other aminopeptidases.

Aminopeptidases↗

Purification of and kinetic studies on a narrow specificity synaptosomal membrane pyroglutamate aminopeptidase from guinea-pig brain.

A pyroglutamate aminopeptidase activity, distinct from that of cytoplasm, was released from a synaptosomal membrane preparation of guinea-pig brain by papain treatment. This activity was further purified 3560-fold relative to the homogenate with a yield of 17% by a procedure involving gel filtration chromatography, calcium phosphate cellulose chromatography and hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B. The purified synaptosomal pyroglutamate aminopeptidase hydrolysed only thyroliberin, acid-thyroliberin, the luliberin N-terminal tripeptide (Glp-His-Trp) and, only slightly, Glp-His-Gly. No hydrolysis was observed with dipeptides containing N-terminal pyroglutamic acid (Glp) or with pyroglutamyl peptides containing more than three amino acids. A Km value of 40 microM was recorded when thyroliberin was used as substrate; however, luliberin was found to inhibit the hydrolysis of thyroliberin competitively with a Ki value of 20 microM.

Aminopeptidases↗

Streptomyces griseus aminopeptidase is a calcium-activated zinc metalloprotein. Purification and properties of the enzyme.

A heat-stable aminopeptidase with an N-terminal Ala-Pro-Asp-Ile-Pro-Leu sequence has been purified from Streptomyces griseus by heat treatment followed by gel-exclusion and anion-exchange chromatographic procedures. The enzyme is a monomeric zinc metalloenzyme showing an apparent molecular mass of 33 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 21 kDa by gel filtration on Superose 12. Calcium ions bind to the enzyme, pKCa 4.5, and activate it about sixfold when the substrate is leucine-4-nitroanilide (0.4 mM in 50 mM Tris/HCl pH 8.0, 25 degrees C). Binding of Ca2+ also contributes to the thermal stability of the protein. This aminopeptidase may be useful for two-stage assays of bacterial and mammalian metalloendopeptidases; it may also serve in studies of proteolytic enzyme activation by calcium ions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Aminopeptidase in human seminal plasma.

Aminopeptidase of seminal plasma was studied in normozoospermic, oligozoospermic, obstructive and non-obstructive azoospermic men. Significantly higher activity was observed in non-obstructive azoospermic patients than that of other three groups. L-Alanine beta-naphthylamide hydrochloride was found to have highest hydrolysis rate in comparison to various other aminoacyl beta-naphthylamide hydrochlorides which were used for determining substrate specificity. 50% inhibitions of the enzyme activity by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline were obtained at 5.77 X 10(-3) M and 3.13 X 10(-6) M concentrations respectively. A single band for aminopeptidase in the activity - gel electrophoresis was obtained for all the categories of seminal plasma and the enzyme exhibited the characteristics of metalloprotein.

Adult↗

Seminal plasma leucine aminopeptidase in male fertility.

Leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) enzymatic activity has been measured in the seminal fluid of a group of 119 males undergoing fertility check-up, and correlated with spermatic density. The results indicate that there exists a direct correlation between LAP activity in the seminal plasma and spermatic density. However, differences between the groups considered according to spermatic density are not significant. Seminal plasma mean leucine aminopeptidase is 40 times higher than that found in blood plasma.

Fertility↗

Inhibition of aminopeptidase and acetylcholinesterase by puromycin and puromycin analogs.

Puromycin analogs in which the o-methyl-L-tyrosine moiety was substituted by a number of amino acids were examined as inhibitors of the puromycin-sensitive rat brain aminopeptidase and bovine erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase. In the case of the aminopeptidase, the structure and stereochemistry of the amino acid substituent were important factors in determining inhibitor effectiveness. In the case of the acetylcholinesterase reaction, the aminonucleoside of puromycin was nearly as effective an inhibitor as puromycin itself, with little effect dependent of the nature or stereochemistry of the amino acid.

Aminopeptidases↗

An aminopeptidase from bovine brain which catalyzes the hydrolysis of enkephalin.

An aminopeptidase from bovine brain which catalyzes the hydrolysis of the tyrosyl1-glycine2 bond of methionine5-enkephalin has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The enzyme also catalyzes the hydrolysis of dipeptides, tripeptides, and amino acid beta-naphthylamides. The enzyme can be inactivated by dialysis against EDTA, and reconstituted with divalent metal ions. Inhibition of the enzyme is observed in the presence of p-chloromercuribenzoate and puromycin, the latter compound not being hydrolyzed by the enzyme. The enzyme is composed of a single polypeptide chain of molecular weight approx. 100,000. The properties of this enzyme are similar to those reported for other brain aminopeptidases active on enkephalin, although distinct differences are observed.

Aminopeptidases↗

Purification and characterization of a neuropeptide-degrading aminopeptidase from human brain.

The major aminopeptidase from human post-mortem brain (occipital cortex) was purified to homogeneity (as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) by anion-exchange chromatography (two steps) and gel filtration (two steps). The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated as 105,000 from gel filtration. Maximum activity was obtained in the presence of 0.5 mM Ca2+ and 1 mM 2-mercaptoethanol at pH 7.3. Enzyme activity was lost on freezing and thawing or on lyophilization. The enzyme was inhibited by metal-ion chelating agents, sulphydryl blocking agents, bestatin, and puromycin. A series of amino acyl-7-amido-4-methylcoumarins was hydrolysed by the enzyme, with the alanyl derivative being hydrolysed most rapidly (Km 170 microM). Specificity studies with a series of alanine dipeptides suggested that a hydrophobic second residue favoured hydrolysis. Several naturally occurring neuropeptides, including Leu5-enkephalin (Km 180 microM), cholecystokinin octapeptide, and Arg8-vasopressin, were hydrolysed by the aminopeptidase. In a series of opioid peptides, increasing chain length led to decreased susceptibility to hydrolysis. Sulphation of the Tyr1 residue of Leu5-enkephalin and the Tyr2 residue of cholecystokinin octapeptide made the peptides more resistant to hydrolysis.

Aminopeptidases↗

A truncated isoform of pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase II produced by exon extension has dominant-negative activity.

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone is inactivated in the extracellular space by a membrane-bound peptidase, pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase II (PPII), a member of the M1 family of zinc metallopeptidases. The functional significance of multiple PPII RNA species expression is unknown. We detected, in rat tissues, a RNA species derived from an alternative processing at the exon 14-intron 14 boundary. The alternatively processed RNA encoded a shorter version of PPII (PPII*), lacking part of the C-terminal domain. PPII* was expressed in COS-7 (or C6 glioma) cells but it did not exhibit any PPII activity. Co-transfection of PPII and increasing amounts of PPII* expression vectors resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in PPII activity and the formation of covalent PPII-PPII* heterodimers. PPII* is therefore a powerful dominant-negative isoform of PPII, and heterodimerization may be its mechanism of action. Natural expression of shortened versions of M1 aminopeptidases may constitute a new mode of regulation of their activity.

Alternative Splicing↗

Bestatin, an aminopeptidase B inhibitor, selectively reduces alcohol intake in rats.

Extensive research has shown that manipulations that augment activity in the renin-angiotensin system can reduce alcohol intake. Inhibition of aminopeptidase B and M can prolong the action of angiotensin (ANG) II and ANG III by preventing their degradation. This study assessed the ability of bestatin, an aminopeptidase B and M inhibitor, to decrease alcohol intake. Bestatin produced a dose-dependent reduction in alcohol intake without altering water intake. The angiotensin antagonist Sar1Thr3-ANG II, however, did not attenuate the effect of bestatin, suggesting that the reduction in alcohol intake was mediated by a system other than the renin-angiotensin system. Bestatin (Ubenimex) is used extensively in Japan as an anticancer agent. It has a low toxicity and is readily absorbed after oral administration. Although further research is needed to uncover the mechanism of its effect, the potential of this drug as an adjunct for the treatment of alcohol abuse should be evaluated.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Characterization of a membrane-bound aminopeptidase purified from Acyrthosiphon pisum midgut cells. A major binding site for toxic mannose lectins.

A single membrane-bound aminopeptidase N (APN) occurs in the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris) midgut, with a pH optimum of 7.0, pI of 8.1 and molecular mass of 130 kDa. This enzyme accounts for more than 15.6% of the total gut proteins. After being solubilized in detergent, APN was purified to homogeneity. The enzyme is a glycoprotein rich in mannose residues, which binds the entomotoxic lectins of the concanavalin family. The internal sequence of APN is homologous with a conservative domain in APNs, and degenerated primers of highly conserved APN motifs were used to screen a gut cDNA library. The complete sequence of APN has standard residues involved in zinc co-ordination and catalysis and a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor, as in APNs from Lepidoptera. APN has a broad specificity towards N-terminal amino acids, but does not hydrolyze acidic aminoacyl-peptides, thus resembling the mammalian enzyme (EC 3.4.11.2). The kcat/Km ratios for different di-, tri-, tetra-, and penta-peptides suggest a preference for tripeptides, and that subsites S1, S2' and S3' are pockets able to bind bulky aminoacyl residues. Bestatin and amastatin bound APN in a rapidly reversible mode, with Ki values of 1.8 microM and 0.6 microM, respectively. EDTA inactivates this APN (k(obs) 0.14 M(-1) x s(-1), reaction order of 0.44) at a rate that is reduced by competitive inhibitors. In addition to oligopeptide digestion, APN is proposed to be associated with amino-acid-absorption processes which, in contrast with aminopeptidase activity, may be hampered on lectin binding.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Alteration of lactase and aminopeptidase N expression in porcine enterocytes by energy intake and environment.

The influence of nutrition, environmental temperature and time of feeding on lactase and aminopeptidase N activities in enterocytes of young pigs has been investigated. Animals were kept in the cold (10 degrees C) or warm (35 degrees C) and given either a high or low energy intake. In animals from the cold, lactase activity as determined by scanning microdensitometry was significantly lower at 4 h after a meal than it was in animals from the warm. At 6 h, the activities were similar in all groups, while at 20-24 h after feeding, lactase activity was much greater in those kept at 10 degrees C than in those at 35 degrees C. Level of energy intake had no statistically significant effect and no differences were found with respect to aminopeptidase N. The possibility that these differences in lactase activity are related to thyroid hormone metabolism and energy supply in relation to demand is discussed.

Aminopeptidases↗

Structure-activity study of LVV-hemorphin-7: angiotensin AT4 receptor ligand and inhibitor of insulin-regulated aminopeptidase.

The decapeptide LVV-hemorphin-7 binds with high affinity to the angiotensin IV (Ang IV) receptor (AT(4) receptor), eliciting a number of physiological effects, including cellular proliferation and memory enhancement. We have recently shown that the AT(4) receptor is identical to insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) and that both LVV-hemorphin-7 and Ang IV inhibit the catalytic activity of IRAP. In the current study, a series of alanine-substituted and N- or C-terminally modified analogs of LVV-hemorphin-7 were evaluated for their abilities to compete for (125)I-Ang IV binding in sheep adrenal and cerebellar membranes. Selected analogs were also analyzed for binding to recombinant human IRAP and inhibition of IRAP aminopeptidase activity. C-Terminal deletions of LVV-hemorphin-7 resulted in modest changes in affinity for IRAP, whereas deletion of the first three N-terminal residues abolished binding. Monosubstitutions of Tyr(4) and Trp(6) with alanine resulted in a 10-fold reduction in affinity. Competition binding studies using recombinant human IRAP demonstrated the same rank order of affinity as obtained for the ovine tissues. All LVV-hemorphin-7 analogs tested, except for Leu-Val-Val-Tyr, inhibit the cleavage of the synthetic substrate, leucine beta-naphthylamide, by IRAP, with K(i) values between 56 and 620 nM. We find that the Val(3) residue is crucial for LVV-hemorphin-7 binding to IRAP, whereas the C-terminal domain seems to play a minor role. The current study highlights the minimal residues necessary for binding and inhibition of IRAP and provides a basis to design peptidomimetic analogs for experimental and potentially clinical use.

Alanine↗

Cloning and sequencing of pepC, a cysteine aminopeptidase gene from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris AM2.

A gene coding for an aminopeptidase (PepC) from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris AM2 was cloned by complementation of an Escherichia coli mutant lacking aminopeptidase activity. The nucleotide sequence was determined. A portion of the predicted amino acid sequence of PepC (436 amino acids) showed strong homology to the active site of cysteine proteases. No signal sequence was found, indicating an intracellular location of the enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗