scholarly journals Characterization of papaya peptidase A as a cysteine proteinase of Carica papaya L. with active-centre properties that differ from those of papain by using 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide and 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan as reactivity probes. Use of two-protonic-state electrophiles in the identification of catalytic-site thiol groups

1982 ◽  
Vol 205 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
B S Baines ◽  
K Brocklehurst
Keyword(s):  
Carica Papaya ◽  
Cysteine Proteinase ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
Catalytic Site ◽  
Interactive System ◽  
Ionization State ◽  
Active Centre ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Activity Loss

1. The proteinase papaya peptidase A, one of the major components of the latex of Carica papaya L., was shown to contain 1 thiol group per molecule; this thiol group is essential for catalytic activity and is part of the catalytic site. 2. The usefulness of two-protonic-state reactivity probes coupled with modification/activity-loss data in assigning a thiol group as an integral part of the catalytic site as against merely ‘essential’ for activity is discussed. 3. The active centre of papaya peptidase A was investigated by using 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide and 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan as reactivity probes. The presence in the enzyme in weakly acidic media of an interactive system containing a nucleophile S atom (pKI3.9,pKII7.9) was demonstrated. 5. Papaya peptidase A resembles ficin (EC 3.4.22.3) and actinidin (the cysteine proteinase from Actinidin chinenis) in that it does not appear to possess a carboxy group able to influence the reactivity of the thiol group by change of ionization state at pH values of about 4, a situation that contrasts markedly with that which obtains in papain. 6. Implications of the results for possible variations in cysteine proteinase mechanism are discussed.

scholarly journals Differences in the interaction of the catalytic groups of the active centres of actinidin and papain Rapid purification of fully active actinidin by covalent chromatography and characterization of its active centre by use of two-protonic-state reactivity probes

1981 ◽  
Vol 197 (3) ◽  
pp. 739-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Brocklehurst ◽  
B S Baines ◽  
J P Malthouse
Keyword(s):  
Cysteine Proteinase ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
Interactive System ◽  
Active Centre ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Hydrophobic Binding ◽  
Rapid Purification ◽  
Active Centres ◽  
Covalent Chromatography

1. A rapid method of isolation of fully active actinidin, the cysteine proteinase from Actinidia chinensis (Chinese gooseberry or kiwifruit), by covalent chromatography, was devised. 2. The active centre of actinidin was investigated by using n-propyl 2-pyridyl disulphide, 4-(N-aminoethyl 2′-pyridyl disulphide)-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole and 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan as reactivity probes. 3. The presence in actinidin in weakly acidic media of an interactive system containing a nucleophilic sulphur atom was demonstrated. 4. The pKa values (3.1 and 9.6) that characterize this interactive system are more widely separated than those that characterize the interactive active centre systems of ficin (EC 3.4.22.3) and papain (EC 3.4.22.2) (3.8 and 8.6, and 3.9 and 8.8 respectively). 5. Actinidin was shown to resemble ficin rather than papain in (i) the disposition of the active-centre imidazole group with respect to hydrophobic binding areas, and (ii) the inability of the active-centre aspartic acid carboxy group to influence the reactivity of the active-centre thiol group at pH values of about 4. 6. The implications of the results for one-state and two-state mechanisms for cysteine-proteinase catalysis are discussed.

scholarly journals Preparation of cathepsins B and H by covalent chromatography and characterization of their catalytic sites by reaction with a thiol-specific two-protonic-state reactivity probe. Kinetic study of cathepsins B and H extending into alkaline media and a rapid spectroscopic titration of cathepsin H at pH 3-4

1985 ◽  
Vol 227 (2) ◽  
pp. 511-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Willenbrock ◽  
K Brocklehurst
Keyword(s):  
Cathepsin B ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
Catalytic Site ◽  
Alkaline Media ◽  
Cysteine Proteinases ◽  
Acidic Media ◽  
Active Centre ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Cathepsin H ◽  
Covalent Chromatography

A procedure for the isolation of cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1) and of cathepsin H from bovine spleen involving covalent chromatography by thiol-disulphide interchange and ion-exchange chromatography was devised. The stabilities of both cathepsins in alkaline media are markedly temperature-dependent, and reliable kinetic data can be obtained at pH values up to 8 by working at 25 degrees C with a continuous spectrophotometric assay. Both enzyme preparations contain only one type of thiol group as judged by reactivity characteristics towards 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide at pH values up to 8; in each case this thiol group is essential for catalytic activity. Cathepsin H was characterized by kinetic analysis of the reactions of its thiol group with 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide in the pH range approx. 2-8 and the analogous study on cathepsin B [Willenbrock & Brocklehurst (1984) Biochem. J. 222, 805-814] was extended to include reaction at pH values up to approx. 8. Cathepsin H, like the other cysteine proteinases, was shown to contain an interactive catalytic-site system in which the nucleophilic character of the sulphur atom is maintained in acidic media. The considerable differences in catalytic site characteristics detected by this two-protonic-state reactivity probe between cathepsin B, cathepsin H, papain (EC 3.4.22.2) and actinidin (EC 3.4.22.14) are discussed. Reaction with 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide in acidic media, which is known to provide a rapid spectrophotometric active centre titration for many cysteine proteinases, is applicable to cathepsin H. This is useful because other active-centre titrations have proved unsuitable in view of the relatively low reactivity of the thiol group in cathepsin H.

scholarly journals Evidence that the lack of high catalytic activity of thiolsubtilisin towards specific substrates may be due to an inappropriately located proton-distribution system. Demonstration of highly nucleophilic character of the thiol group of thiolsubtilisin in the catalytically relevant ionization state of the active centre by use of a two-protonic-state reactivity probe

1981 ◽  
Vol 193 (3) ◽  
pp. 819-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Brocklehurst ◽  
J P G Malthouse
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Interactive System ◽  
High Catalytic Activity ◽  
Ionization State ◽  
Active Centre ◽  
Definitive Evidence ◽  
Rate Of Reaction ◽  
Kinetics Of

The active centre of the semi-synthetic enzyme thiolsubtilisin was investigated by studying the kinetics of the reaction of the thiol group of cysteine-221 with the thiol-specific two-protonic-state reactivity probe 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide. The three-states criterion [Brocklehurst (1974) Tetrahedron 30, 2397-2407] was used to provide definitive evidence of the existence of a thiol–imidazole interactive system in acidic media in which the sulphur atom possesses highly nucleophilic character. The lack of catalytic competence of thiolsubtilisin despite its possession of the requisite nucleophilic capability is discussed. The exceedingly high rate of reaction of thiolsubtilisin with 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide at pH 4–5 is shown to constitute a rapid and convenient active-site titration in which intact thiol–imidazole interaction is detected even in the presence of other thiols.

scholarly journals Characterization of the papain active centre by using two-protonic-state electrophiles as reactivity probes. Evidence for nucleophilic reactivity in the un-interrupted cysteine-25-histidine-159 interactive system

1978 ◽  
Vol 171 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Shipton ◽  
K Brochlehurst
Keyword(s):  
Thiol Group ◽  
Interactive System ◽  
Pyridyl Ring ◽  
Thiol Groups ◽  
Sulphur Atom ◽  
Active Centre ◽  
Nucleophilic Reactivity ◽  
Imidazolium Ion ◽  
Active Centres

1.2,2′-Dipyridyl disulphide (2-Py-S-S-2-Py) and n-propyl 2-pyridyl disulphide (propyl-S-S-2-Py) were used as two-protonic-state reactivity probes to investigate the active centre of papain (EC 3.4.22.2).2. The existence of a striking rate optimum at pH approx. 4 in the reaction of papain not only with the symmetrical probe but also with the unsymmetrical probe is shown to constitute compelling evidence that the thiolate ion component of the cysteine-25-histidine-159 interactive system of papain possesses appreciable nucleophilic character. It is not a necessary requirement that the probe reagent should engage the imidazolium ion of histidine-159 in hydrogen-bonding for the sulphur atom of the interactive system to display nucleophilic character. The single proton-binding site of propyl-S-S-2-Py cannot simultaneously interrupt the active-centre ion pair and provide for rate enhancement as the pH is lowered towards 4. The possible implication of this for the mechanism of papain-catalysed hydrolysis is discussed. 3. The suspected difference in the active centres of papain and ficin (EC 3.4.22.3), which could be a lack in ficin of a carboxy group conformationally equivalent to that of aspartic acid-158 of papain is confirmed. The reactivity of the papain thiol group towards both probe reagents is controlled by two ionizations with pKa close to 4 that are positively co-operative. 4. In the reaction of papain with 2-Py-S-S-2-Py. the reactivity appears to be controlled also by an addition ionization with pKa approx. 5. Possible origins of this additional ionization are discussed. K. The spectral and ionization characteristics of propyl-S-S-2-Py are reported. 6. The reagent reacts rapidly with thiol groups at the sulphur atom distal from the pyridyl ring to provide, at pH values below 9, stoicheiometric release of 2-thiopyridone. This property, together with the ability of the reagent markedly to increase its electrophilicity consequent on protonation, suggests alkyl-2-pyridyl disulphides in general as valuable two-protonic-state reactivity probes with exceptional specificity for thiol groups.

scholarly journals Preparation of fully active ficin from Ficus glabrata by covalent chromatography and characterization of its active centre by using 2,2'-depyridyl disulphide as a reactivity probe

1976 ◽  
Vol 159 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
J P Malthouse ◽  
K Brocklehurst
Keyword(s):  
Aspartic Acid ◽  
Structural Difference ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
High Reactivity ◽  
Carboxyl Group ◽  
Active Centre ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Rate Of Reaction ◽  
Covalent Chromatography

1. Fully active ficin (EC 3.4.22.3) containing 1 mol of thiol with high reactivity towards 2,2'-dipyridyl disulphide (2-Py-S-S-2-Py) at pH4.5 per mol of protein was prepared from the dried latex of Ficus glabrata by covalent chromatography on a Sepharose-glutathione-2-pyridyl disulphide gel. 2. Ficin thus prepared is a mixture of ficins I-IV and ficin G, in which ficins II and III predominate. The various ficins exhibit similar reactivity characteristics towards 2-Py-S-S-2-Py. 3. Use of 2-Py-S-S-2-Py as a reactivity probe demonstrates (a) that in ficin, as in papain (EC 3.4.22.2), the active-centre thiol and imidazole groups interact to provide a nucleophilic state at pH values of approx. 6 additional to the uncomplicated thiolate ion that predominates at pH values over 9, and (b) a structural difference between ficin and papain that leads to a much higher rate of reaction of 2-Py-S-S-2-Py with ficin than with papain at pH values 3-4. This difference is suggested to include a lack in ficin of a carboxyl group conformationally equivalent to that of aspartic acid-158 in papain. 4. The high electrophilicity of the 2-Py-S-S-2PyH+ monocation allows directly the detection of the exposure of the buried thiol group of ficin at pH values below 4.

scholarly journals Chymopapain A. Purification and investigation by covalent chromatography and characterization by two-protonic-state reactivity-probe kinetics, steady-state kinetics and resonance Raman spectroscopy of some dithioacyl derivatives

1986 ◽  
Vol 233 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
B S Baines ◽  
K Brocklehurst ◽  
P R Carey ◽  
M Jarvis ◽  
E Salih ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Cysteine Proteinase ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Resonance Raman ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
Cysteine Residue ◽  
Catalytic Site ◽  
Cysteine Proteinases ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Covalent Chromatography

Chymopapain A was isolated from the dried latex of papaya (Carica papaya) by ion-exchange chromatography followed by covalent chromatography by thiol-disulphide interchange. The latter procedure was used to produce fully active enzyme containing one essential thiol group per molecule of protein, to establish that the chymopapain A molecule contains, in addition, one non-essential thiol group per molecule and to recalculate the literature value of epsilon 280 for the enzyme as 36 000 M−1 × cm −1. The Michaelis parameters for the hydrolysis of L-benzoylarginine p-nitroanilide and of benzyloxy-carbonyl-lysine nitrophenyl ester at 25 degrees C, and I 0.1 at several pH values catalysed by chymopapain A, papaya proteinase omega, papain (EC 3.4.22.2) and actinidin (EC 3.4.22.14) were determined. Towards these substrates chymopapain A has kcat./km values similar to those of actinidin and of papaya proteinase omega and significantly lower than those of papain or ficin. The environment of the catalytic site of chymopapain A is markedly different from those of other cysteine proteinases studied to date, as evidenced by the pH-dependence of the second-order rate constant (k) for the reaction of the catalytic-site thiol group with 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide. The striking bell-shaped component that is a characteristic feature of the reactions of S-/ImH+ (thiolate/imidazolium) ion-pair components of many cysteine-proteinase catalytic sites with the 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide univalent cation is not present in the pH-k profile for the chymopapain A reaction. The result is consistent with the presence of an additional positive charge in, or near, the catalytic site that repels the cationic form of the probe reagent. Resonance Raman spectra were collected at pH values 2.5, 6.0 and 8.0 for each of the following dithioacyl derivatives of chymopapain A: N-benzoylglycine-, N-(Beta-phenylpropionl)glycine- and N-methoxycarbonylphenylalanylglycine-. The main conclusion of the spectral study is that in each case the acyl group binds as a single population known as conformer B in which the glycinic N atom is in close contact with the thiol S atom of the catalytic-site cysteine residue, as is the case also for papain and other cysteine proteinases studied. Thus the abnormal catalytic-site environment of chymopapain A detected by the reactivity-probe studies, which may have consequences for the acylation step of the catalytic act, does not perturb the conformation of the bound acyl group at the acyl-enzyme-intermediate stage of catalysis.

scholarly journals Identification of signalling and non-signalling binding contributions to enzyme reactivity. Alternative combinations of binding interactions provide for change in transition-state geometry in reactions of papain

1989 ◽  
Vol 258 (3) ◽  
pp. 755-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Kowlessur ◽  
C M Topham ◽  
E W Thomas ◽  
M O'Driscoll ◽  
W Templeton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transition State ◽  
Cysteine Proteinase ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
Catalytic Site ◽  
Amide Bond ◽  
Compound I ◽  
Binding Interactions ◽  
Transition State Geometry ◽  
S2 Subsite

1. 2-(N'-Acetyl-L-phenylalanyl)hydroxyethyl 2′-pyridyl disulphide (compound V) was synthesized, and a study of the pH-dependence of the second-order rate constant (k) for its reaction with the catalytic-site thiol group of papain (EC 3.4.22.2) was used to evaluate the consequences for transition-state geometry of the presence of a hydrophobic occupant for the S2 subsite of the enzyme in the absence of the N-H component of the P1-P2 amide bond. 2. Comparison of the pH-dependences of K for reactions of compound (V), 2-(acetamido)ethyl 2′-pyridyl disulphide (compound I) and 2-(acetoxy)ethyl 2′-pyridyl disulphide (compound III) with the cysteine-proteinase minimal catalytic-site model, benzimidazol-2-ylmethanethiol, established the activation of all of these pyridyl disulphides by hydronation and that their reactivities are relatively insensitive to structural change in the non-pyridyl part of the molecule. The marked differences in their reactivities towards papain therefore derive from binding, either directly, or indirectly via signalling mechanisms. 3. Comparison of the kinetic data for the reaction of papain with compound (V) with those for analogous reactions with reactivity probes that provide opportunities for a variety of binding interactions in the S1-S2 intersubsite region and in the S2 subsite itself lead to the following conclusions: (a) the (Gly-66) N-H...O = C less than (P1-P2 ester) interaction of papain with compound (III) provides for better binding relative to that for a probe with a simple hydrocarbon side chain, but no signalling to the catalytic site to provide a (His-159)-ImH+-assisted transition state; (b) when this interaction is augmented either by a (P1-P2 amide) N-H...O = C less than (Asp-158) interaction (compound I) or hydrophobic P2/S2 contacts (compound V), signalling to the catalytic region occurs to provide the assisted transition state; (c) when both the P2/S2 contacts and the interaction involving Gly-66 exist, provision additionally of the (P1-P2 amide) N-H...O = C less than (Asp-158) interaction [as in 2-(N'-acetyl-L-phenylalanylamino)ethyl 2′-pyridyl disulphide] serves only to assist the binding without an additional signalling effect. 4. Such studies promise to allow binding interactions that merely locate substrates in appropriate enzyme loci to be distinguished from those that transmit signals with a chemical consequence to catalytic sites.

scholarly journals Differences in the chemical and catalytic characteristics of two crystallographically ‘identical’ enzyme catalytic sites. Characterization of actinidin and papain by a combination of pH-dependent substrate catalysis kinetics and reactivity probe studies targeted on the catalytic-site thiol group and its immediate microenvironment

1987 ◽  
Vol 247 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Salih ◽  
J P G Malthouse ◽  
D Kowlessur ◽  
M Jarvis ◽  
M O'Driscoll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Thiol Group ◽  
Ion Pair ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Catalytic Site ◽  
Cysteine Proteinases ◽  
Acidic Media ◽  
Acid Media ◽  
Catalytic Sites

The characteristics of actinidin (EC 3.4.22.14) and papain (EC 3.4.22.2), two cysteine proteinases whose catalytic-site regions appear to superimpose to a degree that approaches atomic co-ordinate accuracy of both crystal structures, were evaluated by determining (a) the pH-dependence in acid media of the acylation process of the catalytic act (k+2/Ks) using N alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide (L-Bz-Arg-Nan) as substrate and (b) the sensitivity of the reactivity of the catalytic-site thiol group and its pH-dependence to structural change in small, thiol-specific, two-protonic-state reactivity probes (2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide and methyl 2-pyridyl disulphide) where enzyme-probe contacts should be restricted to areas close to the catalytic site. Distortion of the catalytic sites of the two enzymes at pH less than 4 was evaluated over time-scales appropriate for both stopped-flow reactivity probe kinetics (less than or equal to 1-2 s) and steady-state substrate catalysis kinetics (3-5 min) by using the 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide monocation as a titrant for non-distorted catalytic sites. This permitted a lower pH limit to be defined for valid kinetic analysis of both types. The behaviour of the enzymes at pH less than 4 requires a kinetic model in which the apparently biomolecular reaction of enzyme with probe reagent is separated from the process leading to loss of conformational integrity by a potentially reversible step. The acylation of actinidin with L-Bz-Arg-Nan in acidic media occurs in two protonic states, one produced by raising the pH across pKa less than 4 which probably characterizes the formation of -S-/-ImH+ ion pair (pKa approx. 3) and the other, of higher reactivity, produced by raising the pH across pKa 5.5, which may characterize rearrangement of catalytic-site geometry. The pH-dependence of the acylation of papain by L-Bz-Arg-Nan is quite different and is not influenced by protonic dissociation with pKa values in the range 5-6. The earlier conclusion that the acylation of papain depends on two protonic dissociations each with pKa approx. 4 was confirmed. This argument is now more firmly based because titration with 2,2′-dipyridyl disulphide permits the loss of conformational integrity to be taken into account in the analysis of the kinetic data at very low pH. Methyl 2-pyridyl disulphide was synthesized by reaction of pyridine-2-thione with methyl methanethiolsulphonate and its pKa at I = 0.1 was determined by spectral analysis at 307 nm to be 2.8.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals A marked gradation in active-centre properties in the cysteine proteinases revealed by neutral and anionic reactivity probes. Reactivity characteristics of the thiol groups of actinidin, ficin, papain and papaya peptidase A towards 4,4′-dipyridyl disulphide and 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) dianion

1983 ◽  
Vol 209 (3) ◽  
pp. 873-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Brocklehurst ◽  
S M Mushiri ◽  
G Patel ◽  
F Willenbrock
Keyword(s):  
Negative Charge ◽  
Cysteine Proteinase ◽  
Catalytic Site ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Cysteine Proteinases ◽  
Thiol Groups ◽  
Active Centre ◽  
Ph Range ◽  
Thiolate Anions ◽  
Kinetics Of

1. The kinetics of the reactions of the catalytic-site thiol groups of actinidin (the cysteine proteinase from Actinidia chinensis), ficin (EC 3.4.22.3), papain (EC 3.4.22.2) and papaya peptidase A (the other monothiol cysteine proteinase component of Carica papaya) with 4,4′-dipyridyl disulphide (4-Py-S-S-4-Py) and with 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) dianion (Nbs22-) were studied in the pH range approx. 6-10. These studies provided the pH-independent second-order rate constants (k) for the reactions of the two probe reagents with the catalytic-site thiolate anions each in the environment of a neutral histidine side chain where an active-centre carboxy group would be ionized. 2. The ratio R equal to kNbs22-/k4-Py-S-S-4-Py provides an index of the catalytic-site solvation properties of the four cysteine proteinases and varies markedly from one enzyme to another, being 0.80 for papaya peptidase A (0.86 for the model thiol, 2-mercaptoethanol), 29 for actinidin, 0.18 for ficin and 0.015 for papain. These differences appear to derive mainly from the response of the enzyme to the negative charge on Nbs22-. 3. Possible implications of these results for (a) mechanisms of cysteine proteinase catalysis and (b) the possibility of using series of functionally related enzymes in the study of mechanism are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document