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Biomedical subjects

V Turk

Publications and source records attributed to V Turk.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Protein inhibitors of cysteine proteinases. II. Primary structure of stefin, a cytosolic protein inhibitor of cysteine proteinases from human polymorphonuclear granulocytes.

The primary structure of stefin, a new cysteine proteinase inhibitor from the cytosol of human polymorphonuclear granulocytes, was determined by amino-acid sequence analysis. The protein consists of 98 amino-acid residues and contains no cysteine. Its molecular mass was calculated to be 11006 Da. The sequence was obtained by automatic solid-phase Edman degradation of the uncleaved protein and its cyanogen bromide fragments. There is no striking evidence for a sequence homology with known families of protein inhibitors of proteinases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Protein inhibitors of cysteine proteinases. III. Amino-acid sequence of cystatin from chicken egg white.

Cystatin, the protein inhibitor of cysteine proteinases from chicken egg white was purified by a new method. The two major forms with pI 6.5 (Peak I) and 5.6 (Peak II) were separated. Molecular masses of both forms are approx. 12700 Da as determined by gel chromatography; Form A from Peak I has a molecular mass of 12191 Da as calculated from its amino-acid sequence. The complete amino-acid sequence of Form A was determined by automated solid-phase Edman degradation of the whole inhibitor and its cyanogen bromide fragments. It contains 108 amino-acid residues. Form B from Peak II represents an elongation of Form A by 8 amino-acid residues at the N-terminus. Cystatin contains four cysteine residues, presumably forming two disulphide bridges. Comparison of the amino-acid sequences and near ultraviolet circular dichroism spectra of stefin, the cysteine proteinase inhibitor from human granulocytes, and cystatin shows that the two proteins are entirely different. According to the primary structures, probably neither proteinase inhibitor is involved in a thiol-disulphide exchange mechanism in the interaction with its target enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Effect of homologous and heterologous interferons on proteolytic activity of normal and transformed cells.

The authors investigated the effect of various types of interferons (INF) on the activity of intracellular neutral and cysteine proteinases (cathepsin B and H) in normal and transformed rat embryonic fibroblasts. A substantially stronger inhibitory effect was observed with all three types of IFN on the proteolytic enzymes in transformed cells if compared to that on normal cells. Heterologous IFN reduces the activity of cysteine proteinases by 33% and neutral proteinases by 79%. Homologous IFN strongly reduced the activity of cysteine proteinases in transformed cells (59%) used in the experiments, but the inhibition of neutral proteinases remained nearly unchanged if compared with normal cells (18%).

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Methodologic problems encountered in the assay of proteinases in Lewis lung carcinoma, a mouse metastasizing tumor.

The proteolytic activity in homogenates and extracts of subcellular fractions prepared from subcutaneous Lewis lung carcinoma was determined using proteins and synthetic peptides as substrates. The presence of cathepsin D, plasminogen activator, cathepsin B-, cathepsin G- and elastase-like enzymes was observed. No difference was revealed between the proteolytic activity in homogenates of Lewis lung carcinoma, at the growth stage examined, and in homogenates of normal lung. High specific activities were found in the lysosomal extract, whereas decreasing activities were found in the nuclear extract, the homogenate and the postlysosomal mitochondrial supernatant; no active or trypsin-activatable collagenase activity was detected. The presence in the tumor tissue of these enzymatic activities is in agreement with their proposed role in the process of metastasis. The lack of differences between homogenates of tumor and normal lung tissue suggests that the use of whole cells is required to selectively study tumor proteinases specifically involved in tumor malignancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Biochemical and biological characteristics of leucocyte proteinase inhibitors.

Pig leucocytes contain inhibitors of neutral and thiol proteinases. These proteins could be isolated from post-granule supernatant fraction as well as from nuclear extract using ion exchange chromatography, gel chromatography and affinity chromatography. Inhibitors differ in molecular weight, isoelectric point, immunologically and their inhibition ability against tested enzymes.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Autolysis studies of cathepsin D.

Incubation of the single polypeptide chain cathepsin D from bovine spleen at pH 3.5, resulted in the fragmentation of the molecule. This was followed by gel electrophoresis in the presence of dodecyl sulphate, gel filtration, circular dichroism and enzyme activity measurements. Main bands of Mr 30,000 and 15,000 appeared first, followed by bands corresponding to smaller fragments. Conformational changes of the cathepsin D molecule were observed in the near ultraviolet circular dichroism spectrum during the autolysis. Measurements of the initial inactivation rate showed apparent first order kinetics which was biphasic at lower concentrations of the enzyme. The inactivation rate of cathepsin D increases with decreasing enzyme concentration. The presented results are interpreted in terms of autolytic degradation of cathepsin D.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Aspartic proteinases: their activation and structural studies.

Besides extracellular mammalian aspartic proteinases also intracellular proteinase cathepsin D is synthesized in the form of a precursor. The evidence is presented that cathepsin D zymogen (cathepsinogen D, procathepsin D) can be activated by a similar mechanism to that of pepsin, releasing an activation segment - peptide(s). The released peptide(s) show inhibitory activity towards cathepsin D and some other aspartic proteinases. The activation peptides released from bovine pepsinogen do not inhibit cathepsins D and E. The structure of different aspartic proteinases was studied by circular dichroism measurements. The binding of pepstatin causes conformational changes in the near UV CD spectrum.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1982

The isolation of liver serine proteinase by affinity chromatography on 4-phenylbutylamine-sepharose 4 B.

By acid extraction, ethanol precipitation, affinity chromatography on 4-phenylbutylamine-Sepharose 4B and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, calf liver neutral proteinase was purified. The purified enzyme was electrophoretically homogeneous and over 2000 times more active than the starting homogenate. The molecular weight, determined by SDS electrophoresis, was calculated as 27000. The pH optimum of the enzyme for whole calf thymus histones and N-benzoyltyrosine, ethyl ester (BTEE) was at 7.0 and 7.0-7.5. The Km value for histones was 2% and for BTEE 1.66 mM. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by soya-bean trypsin inhibitor and leucocyte intracellular I-1A inhibitor and less by alpha 1-antitrypsin and leucocyte inhibitor I-1B. The enzyme hydrolyzed only selected protein substrates, such as total thymus histones, Lys-rich histones, nucleoprotein and substance P, but not Arg-rich histones, hemoglobin and casein. The enzyme showed chymotrypsin-like properties by cleavage of substance P at the carboxyl groups of phenylalanine and leucine.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Some further characteristics of endogenous proteinase inhibitors.

Leucocytes and spleen contain four different types of protein proteinase inhibitors. Two of them can be inactivated by cathepsin D. In this work biochemical and immunological studies of the inactivation of I-2 by cathepsin D are presented. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic examinations indicate that cathepsin D inactivates I-2 by hydrolysis of the inhibitor molecule. The conversion of the active inhibitor into inactive protein proceeds catalytically. The studies on the inhibitor mechanism of the isoinhibitors of I-1 type explain the unusual inhibitor property of this type of inhibitor to inhibit two different types of proteinases, cysteine and serine. The evidence suggests that the inhibitory mechanism is based on an active sulfhydryl group of the inhibitor which may interact with the disulfide bridge of the inhibited proteinase.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Inactivation studies of the leucocyte inhibitor of urokinase by cathepsin D.

Leucocytes contain an urokinase inhibitor, that can be inactivated by cathepsin D. In this work biochemical and immunological studies on the inactivation of this inhibitor by cathepsin D are presented. Examinations by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and SDS electrophoresis indicate that cathepsin D inactivates urokinase inhibitor by hydrolysis of the inhibitor molecule and that the degradation needed for total inactivation is different from that for formation of the precipitin line with antibodies. The conversion of active inhibitor into inactive protein proceeds catalytically.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Inhibitory mechanism of sericystatin, an intracellular proteinase inhibitor, reacting with cysteine proteinases.

Studies are reported on the inhibitory mechanism of an endogenous inhibitor, which has the ability of inhibiting both cysteine and serine proteinases. On the basis of this unusual inhibitory property, we propose the name "sericystatin". The cysteine proteinases (cathepsin B and papain) can be reactivated from their complex with sericystatin by the action of oxidized glutathione or by chymotrypsin-like neutral proteinases. The inhibitory activity of sericystatin can be inactivated by treatment with oxidized glutathione. The results indicate that sericystatin inhibits these enzymes by a reversible thiol-disulphide exchange mechanism.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Bovine intracellular cysteine proteinases.

Cathepsins B, H and S were isolated from bovine lymph nodes and bovine spleen. It was shown that the incubation of homogenate at 37 degrees C at acid pH increased the total BANA hydrolase activity and LeuNA activity, whereas it decreased the total activity of cathepsin S. All three enzymes are electrophoretically homogeneous and probably composed of a single polypeptide chain. They exist in multiple forms as shown by isoelectric focusing. Far UV CD spectra revealed a rather high percentage of unordered structure. The three cysteine proteinases were inhibited by thiol blocking reagents, leupeptin and by an inhibitor isolated from Vipera ammodytes venom. Results on the specificity toward various substrates and the influence of pH on enzymatic activity are presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

The existence of a precursor of cathepsin D: evidence from autolysis, denaturation and activation studies.

This report evidences that the single polypeptide chain of cathepsin D undergoes in vitro autolysis resulting in heavy (Mr about 30000) and light (Mr about 15000) polypeptide chains. These two chains are held together through non-covalent interaction, thus constituting a stable active conformation. Fluorescence and circular dichroism measurements demonstrate the irreversible denaturation of cathepsin D. The existence of cathepsin D precursor, cathepsinogen D, of about 50000 molecular weight was proved. Cathepsinogen D is converted to the active enzyme by intramolecular activation, releasing activation-inhibitory peptide(s).

Animals↗