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Biomedical subjects

J S Fruton

Publications and source records attributed to J S Fruton.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Hydrolysis and transpeptidation of peptide substrates by acetyl-pepsin.

Treatment of swine pepsin with acetylimidazole to acetylate approximately five of its 16 tyrosyl residues causes a significant enhancement of catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) toward substrates such as dansyl-glycyl-glycyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-phenylalanine 3-(4-pyridyl)propyl ester and benzyloxy-carbonyl-(glycyl)n-p-nitroLphenylalnyl-Lphenylalanyl-L-tyrosine (where n = 0, 1,2). Stopped-flow kinetic studies, under conditions of enzyme excess, with the dansyl peptide have shown that, as with untreated pepsin, the rate-limiting step in the over-all catalytic process is associated with the decomposition of the first detectable enzyme-substrate complex, whose dissociation constant is approximately equal to the Km found in steady-state kinetic experiments. With substrates of the type benzoyl-(glycyl)n-nitro-L-phenylalanyl-L-tyrosine, an increase in the chain length of the peptide leads to an increase in the value of kcat/Km, supporting the view that secondary enzyme-substrate interactions may produce at the extended active site conformational changes that are reflected in higher catalytic efficiency. This effect is more marked with acetyl-pepsin than with untreated pepsin, and suggests that the conformational mobility of the active site is increased by partial acetylation. Acetyl-pepsin is less effective than untreated pepsin in catalyzing transpeptidation reactions in which acetyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-tyrosine and benzyloxycarbonyl-(glycyl)n-p-nitro-L-phenylalanine are the reactants; this finding is consistent with the more rapid hydrolysis of the product of transpeptidation.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1975

Fluorescence studies on the active sites of porcine pepsin and Rhizopus-pepsin.

Fluorescence studies on the interaction, with porcine pepsin, of oligopeptides bearing a mansyl (Mns, 6-(N-methylanilino)-2-naphthalenesulfonyl) or dansyl (Dns, 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl) group at the NH2 or COOH terminus have provided further evidence showing that the probe group is drawn into the extended active site largely as a consequence of the specific binding of the peptide portion of the substrate. The active site does not appear to have appreciable intrinsic affinity for the mansyl or dansyl group, and the principal contribution to the specific peptide-protein interaction is provided by the sensitive L-phenylalanyl-L-phenylalanyl (Phe-Phe) unit of the substrates tested. The pepsin inhibitor pepstatin can displace substrates such as Mns-(Gly)n-Phe-Phe-OR or Gly-Gly-Phe-Phe-NHNH-Mns from the active site of porcine pepsin; in these circumstances the mansyl group is bound weakly at a separate, nonspecific locus, distinct from the active site, which can accept the mansyl group of Mns-Gly-Gly-OR or mansylamide. In the interaction with substrates such as Mns-(Gly)n-Phe-Phe-OR or Dns-(Gly)n-Phe-Phe-OR, the above conclusions for porcine pepsin also apply to Rhizopus-pepsin. With substrates such as Gly-Gly-Phe-Phe-NHNH-Mns, however, the active site of Rhizopus-pepsin shows less affinity for the fluorescent probe group than does that of porcine pepsin, suggesting structural differences between the two acid proteinases in the region of their extended active sites which bind the COOH-terminal portion of small oligopeptide substrates.

Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates↗
PubMed1975

Kinetics of action of pepsin on fluorescent peptide substrates.

Oligopeptide substrates of porcine pepsin (E) of the type A-Phe-Phe-B (S) that are cleaved solely at the Phe-Phe bond under the conditions of these studies, and bearing an amino-terminal fluorescent probe group (mansyl or dansyl), have been used for stopped-flow measurements of the rate of formation of the A-Phe product. These experiments were conducted under conditions of [E] greater than [S], and the kinetic data were compared with those obtained under conditions of [S] greater than [E] for the formation of the Phe-B product (the same in all cases). The results for substrates with A = mansyl-Gly, mansyl-Gly-Gly, and dansyl-Gly-Gly support the conclusion that the rate-limiting step in the over-all catalytic process is associated with the scission of the Phe-Phe bond in the first detectables ES complex. Although the rate of this step varies widely with the nature of the A portion of A-Phe-Phe-B, the magnitude of the dissociation constant of ES is relatively invariant. This supports the view that, in the cleavage of oligopeptide substrates by pepsin, secondary enzyme--substrate interactions may cause conformational changes at the catalytic site, and that a portion of the total binding energy may be used for the attainment of the transition state in the bond-breaking step. With substrates that are hydrolyzed extremely rapidly (A = dansyl-Gly-Ala, dansyl-Ala-Ala), the rate of formation of the A-Phe product appears to be faster than the steady-state rate, suggesting that an additional step has become kinetically significant in the over-all process. This step may be associated with the return of the conformation of the active site to its original state.

Animals↗
PubMed1974

Studies on the extended active sites of acid proteinases.

The kinetics of the hydrolysis of a series of peptide substrates at a single peptide bond (between L-phenylalanyl and L-phenylalanyl) by the acid proteinases gastric pepsin A (EC 3.4.23.1), Rhizopus pepsin (EC 3.4.23.9), and beef-spleen cathepsin D (EC 3.4.23.5) have been determined by use of the fluorescamine assay method. The results indicate that the extended active site of pepsin can accommodate a sequence of at least seven amino-acid residues. Although the other two acid proteinases appear to act at the sensitive L-phenylalanyl-L-phenylalanyl bond by a mechanism similar to that of pepsin, the influence of structural changes on either side of the sensitive dipeptidyl unit on the kinetic parameters is different from that for pepsin. These data give further evidence for the importance of secondary interactions in determining the catalytic efficiency of enzymes that act on oligomeric substrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1971

Bifunctional inhibitors of pepsin.

Two bifunctional reagents designed to probe the active site of pepsin and other acid proteinases are described. One of these, the bisdiazoketone 1,1-bis(diazoacetyl)-2-phenylethane inactivates pepsin at pH 5.0 much more rapidly than the corresponding monodiazoketon 1-diazoacetyl-2-phenylethane, whereas the other, the bromodiazoketone dl-1-diazoacetyl-1-bromo-2-phenylethane is less effective in this regard. The inactivation is greatly accelerated by the presence of Cu(II), and the pH dependence of the process is consistent with the interaction of the enzyme with the metal complex of the carbene derived from the reagent. The bisdiazoketone appears to react stoichiometrically with pepsin in a 1:1 ratio to form a product whose apparent molecular size is the same as that of untreated pepsin. The inactivation of pepsin by the bromodiazoketone is accompanied by the release of stoichiometric amounts of bromide ions and the formation of a major product whose apparent size is similar to that of pepsin, and a minor component larger than the untreated enzyme.

Azo Compounds↗
PubMed1971

The comparative specificity of acid proteinases.

Examination of the kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis, by acid proteinases, of a single peptide bond (between p-nitro-L-phenylalanyl and L-phenylalanyl) in a series of oligopeptides has shown that secondary interactions are important factors in determining the catalytic efficiency. Comparison of the action of highly purified pepsinlike enzymes (Rhizopus proteinase, Mucor proteinase, rennin) with that of swine pepsin A indicates significant differences among them, either in the binding of the substrate (as estimated by K(m)), or in the catalytic efficiency (as measured by k(cat)), or both. It may be concluded from these data that, in their action on oligopeptide substrates, the specificity of proteinases operating by a similar catalytic mechanism cannot be explained solely in terms of the amino acid residues flanking the sensitive peptide bond; in addition, the specificity includes significant contributions from secondary interactions arising from complementary relations between parts of the substrate and of the enzyme at a distance from the catalytic site. Data are also presented for the effect of urea (about 1 M) on the kinetic parameters of several acid proteinases; under the conditions of these studies, the binding of the substrate is affected to a much lesser degree than is the catalytic efficiency.

Comparative Study↗