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PubMed1992

Inhibition of human skin fibroblast collagenase, thermolysin, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase by peptide hydroxamic acids.

The hydroxamic acid HONHCOCH2CH(i-Bu)CO-L-Trp-NHMe, isomer 6A (GM 6001), inhibits human skin fibroblast collagenase with Ki of 0.4 nM using the synthetic thiol ester substrate Ac-Pro-Leu-Gly-SCH(i-Bu)CO-Leu-Gly-OEt at pH 6.5. The other isomer, 6B, which has the opposite configuration at the CH2CH(i-Bu)CO alpha-carbon atom, has a Ki of 200 nM for this enzyme. GM 6001 is one of the most potent inhibitors of human skin fibroblast collagenase yet reported. GM 6001 has a Ki of 20 nM against thermolysin and Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase. Isomer 6B has a Ki of 7 nM against thermolysin and 2 nM against the elastase. 6A and 6B are the most potent hydroxamate inhibitors reported for these bacterial enzymes. The pattern of inhibition for all three enzymes suggests that isomer 6A is the (R,S) compound, stereochemically analogous to the L,L-dipeptide, and isomer 6B is the (S,S) compound, analogous to the DL-dipeptide. The tolerance of the D configuration by thermolysin and the elastase allows these inhibitors to discriminate between the human and bacterial enzymes simply by inversion of configuration at the CH2CH(i-Bu)CO alpha-carbon atom. Substitution of the potential metal liganding groups carboxylate and hydrazide for the hydroxamate group yields much weaker inhibitors for all three enzymes.

Fibroblasts↗

PubMed1982

Structure of a mercaptan-thermolysin complex illustrates mode of inhibition of zinc proteases by substrate-analogue mercaptans.

The structure of the complex of thermolysin and the inhibitor (2-benzyl-3-mercaptopropanoyl)-L-alanylglycinamide has been determined by X-ray crystallography at a resolution of 1.9 A and refined to a crystallographic residual of 18.4%. The binding of this potent, specific inhibitor to thermolysin (Ki = 7.5 X 10(-7) M) serves as a model for the inhibition of zinc peptidases by substrate-analogue mercaptans. The study shows that the mercaptan inhibitor binds to thermolysin with the sulfur, presumably in the anionic form, tetrahedrally coordinated to the zinc and displacing a water molecule bound to the native enzyme. This is the first direct determination of the mode of binding of a mercaptan inhibitor to a zinc peptidase and confirms the geometry of binding expected on general grounds [Ondetti, M. A., Condon, M. E., Reid, J., Sabo, E. F., Cheung, H. S., & Cushman, D. W. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 1427-1430; Nishino, N., & Powers, J. C. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 4340-4347] and inferred from previous spectroscopic studies [Holmquist, B., & Vallee, B. L. (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 6216-6220].

3-Mercaptopropionic Acid↗

PubMed1984

An interactive computer graphics study of thermolysin-catalyzed peptide cleavage and inhibition by N-carboxymethyl dipeptides.

Interactive computer graphics was used as a tool in studying the cleavage mechanism of the model substrate Z-Phe-Phe-Leu-Trp by the zinc endopeptidase thermolysin. Two Michaelis complexes and three binding orientations of the tetrahedral intermediate to the crystal structure of thermolysin were investigated. Our results indicate that a Michaelis complex, which does not involve coordination of the scissile peptide to the zinc, is consistent with available experimental data and the most plausible of the two complexes. A tetrahedral intermediate complex wherein the two oxygens of the hydrated scissile peptide straddle the zinc in a bidentate fashion results in the most favorable interactions with the active site. The preferred tetrahedral intermediate and Michaelis complex provide a rationalization for the published substrate data. A trajectory for proceeding from the Michaelis complex to the tetrahedral intermediate is proposed. This trajectory involves a simultaneous activation of the zinc-bound water molecule concurrent with attack on the scissile peptide. A detailed ordered product release mechanism is also presented. These studies suggest some modifications and a number of extensions to the mechanism proposed earlier [Kester, W. R., & Matthews, B. W. (1977) Biochemistry 16, 2506; Holmes, M. A., & Matthews, B. W. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 6912]. The binding mode of the thermolysin inhibitor N-(1-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl)-L-leucyl-L-tryptophan [Monzingo, A. F., & Matthews, B. W. (1984) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)] is compared with that of the preferred tetrahedral intermediate, providing insight into this inhibitor design.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1987

Slow- and fast-binding inhibitors of thermolysin display different modes of binding: crystallographic analysis of extended phosphonamidate transition-state analogues.

The modes of binding to thermolysin of two phosphonamidate peptide inhibitors, carbobenzoxy-GlyP-L-Leu-L-Leu (ZGPLL) and carbobenzoxy-L-PheP-L-Leu-L-Ala (ZFPLA), have been determined by X-ray crystallography and refined at high resolution to crystallographic R-values of 17.7% and 17.0%, respectively. (GlyP is used to indicate that the trigonal carbon of the peptide linkage is replaced by the tetrahedral phosphorus of a phosphonamidate group.). These inhibitors were designed to be structural analogues of the presumed catalytic transition state and are potent inhibitors of thermolysin (ZGPLL, Ki = 9.1 nM; ZFPLA, Ki = 0.068 nM) [Bartlett, P. A., & Marlowe, C. K. (1987) Biochemistry (following paper in this issue)]. ZFPLA binds to thermolysin in the manner expected for the transition state and, for the first time, provides direct support for the presumed mode of binding of extended substrates in the S2 subsite. The mode of binding of ZFPLA displays all the interactions that are presumed to stabilize the transition state and supports the postulated mechanism of catalysis [Hangauer, D. G., Monzingo, A. F., & Matthews, B. W. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 5730-5741]. The two oxygens of the phosphonamidate moiety are liganded to the zinc to give overall pentacoordination of the metal. For the second inhibitor the situation is different. Although both ZFPLA and ZGPLL have similar modes of binding in the S1' and S2' subsites, the configurations of the carbobenzoxy-Phe and carbobenzoxy-Gly moieties are different. For ZFPLA the carbonyl group of the carbobenzoxy group is hydrogen bonded directly to the enzyme, whereas in ZGPLL the carbonyl group is rotated 117 degrees, and there is a water molecule interposed between the inhibitor and the enzyme. For ZGPLL only one of the phosphonamidate oxygens is liganded to the zinc. Correlated with the change in inhibitor-zinc ligation from monodentate in ZGPLL to bidentate in ZFPLA there is an increase in the phosphorus-nitrogen bond length of about 0.25 A, strongly suggesting that the phosphonamide nitrogen in ZFPLA is cationic, analogous to the doubly protonated nitrogen of the transition state. The observation that the nitrogen of ZFPLA appears to donate two hydrogen bonds to the protein also indicates that it is cationic. The different configurations adopted by the respective inhibitors are correlated with large differences in their kinetics of binding [Bartlett, P. A., & Marlowe, C. K. (1987) Biochemistry (following paper in this issue)]. These differences in kinetics are not associated with any significant conformational change on the part of the enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1989

Thiorphan and retro-thiorphan display equivalent interactions when bound to crystalline thermolysin.

The three-dimensional structures of (S)-thiorphan and (R)-retro-thiorphan bound to thermolysin have been determined crystallographically and refined to residuals of 0.183 and 0.187 at 1.7-A resolution. Thiorphan [N-[(S)-2-(mercaptomethyl)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropyl]glycine] [HSCH2CH(CH2C6H5)CONHC-H2COOH] and retro-thiorphan [[[(R)-1-(mercaptomethyl)-2-phenylethyl] amino]-3-oxopropanoic acid] [HSCH2CH(CH2C6H5)NHCOCH2COOH] are isomeric thiol-containing inhibitors of endopeptidase EC 24-11 (also called "enkephalinase"). The mode of binding of thiorphan to thermolysin is similar to that of (2-benzyl-3-mercaptopropanoyl)-L-alanylglycinamide [Monzingo, A.F., & Matthews, B.W. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 3390-3394] with the inhibitor sulfur atom coordinated to the active site zinc and the peptide portion forming substrate-like interactions with the enzyme. The isomeric inhibitor retro-thiorphan, which differs from thiorphan by the inversion of an amide bond, utilizes very similar interactions with enzyme. Despite the inversion of the -CO-NH- linkage the carbonyl oxygen and amide nitrogen display very similar hydrogen bonding, as anticipated by B.P. Roques et al. [(1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 3178-3182]. These results explain why thermolysin and possibly other zinc endopeptidases such as endopeptidase EC 24-11 fail to discriminate between these retro-inverso inhibitors.

Crystallization↗

PubMed1989

Binding energetics of phosphorus-containing inhibitors of thermolysin.

The importance of a specific hydrogen bond between thermolysin and a phosphonamidate inhibitor, Z-NHCH2-PO(O-)-Leu-Leu (1) [Bartlett, P. A., & Marlowe, C. K. (1987) Science (Washington D.C.) 235, 569-571], has been reevaluated. We have determined the inhibition constants (binding free energies) for thermolysin of phosphonamidate n-hexyl-P(O)(O-)-Leu-Trp-NHMe (4), phosphonate n-hexyl-P-(O)(O-)OCH(iBu)CO-Trp-NHMe (5), and phosphinates n-hexyl-P(O)(O-)CH2CH(iBu)CO-Trp-NHMe (6) and Z-NHCH2PO(O-)CH2CH(iBu)CO-Leu (3). Replacement of the P-NH group by P-CH2 (1----3 and 4----6) weakens the overall binding free energy by about 1.5 kcal/mol. A negligible difference in solvation energy has been measured for these pairs, and the basicity of the P-O- ligand for zinc in each pair remains nearly unchanged as determined by pH titration of their 31P NMR resonances. Therefore, this value of 1.5 kcal/mol can be assigned to the specific hydrogen bond known to exist between the P-NH of 1 and thermolysin [Tronrud, D. E., Holden, H. M., & Matthews, B. W. (1987) Science (Washington, D.C.) 235, 871-574] and inferred to exist between 4 and the enzyme. Substitution of P-O for P-NH (1----2 [Bartlett, P. A., & Marlowe, C. K. (1987) Science (Washington, D.C.) 235, 569-571] and 4----5) weakens the overall binding free energy by 4.1 kcal/mol for each pair as the basicity of the P-O- ligand decreases by about 1.6 pH units. The measured solvation energy difference between 4 and 5 (and by inference between 1 and 2) is negligible.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1981

Lanthanide ion luminescence probes. Characterization of metal ion binding sites and intermetal energy transfer distance measurements in calcium-binding proteins. 2. Thermolysin.

Eu(III) laser excitation spectroscopy of the 7F0 leads to 5D0 transition reveals spectral features characteristic of the occupation of Eu(III) ions in the S(1), S(3), and S(4) Ca-(II)-binding sites of thermolysin. Various hybrid Eu(III) thermolysin species were prepared in which the Eu(III) ion resides in the S(1) or S(3) and S(4) or all three Eu(III)-binding sites of the metalloprotein. The Eu(III) ion in the S(1) site coordinates to one H2O molecule while the other two sites coordinate to about three to four H2O molecules. Thermolysin hybrids in which the donor Ln(III) ion occupies S(1) and acceptor Ln(III) ions occupy sites S(3) and S(4) were prepared. Nonradiative energy transfer between Eu(III) and Tb(III) acting as luminescent donors and various other Ln(III) ions serving as acceptors was observed by monitoring the excited-state lifetimes of the donor ions using a pulsed dye laser apparatus. Virtually all energy transfer occurs between sites S(1) and S(4) while less than 1% of the donor's energy is transferred from S(1) to S(3). With the assumption of a Förster-type dipole--dipole mechanism, the experimental inter-binding-site distance estimates between sites S(1) and S(4) are in good agreement with the distance (11.7 A) obtained by X-ray crystallography. R0 values (critical distances for 50% energy transfer) in H2O solution range from 9.3 A for the Tb-(III)--Ho(III) donor--acceptor pair down to 5.3 A for the Eu-(III)--Ho(III) pair.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1975

Superactivation of thermolysin by acylation with amino acid N-hydroxysuccinimide esters.

Synthesis of a series of active N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of aliphatic and aromatic amino acids has yielded a new class of reagents for the covalent modification of proteolytic enzymes such as thermolysin. The activities of aliphatic acyl amino acid thermolysins are from 1.7 to 3.6 times greater than that of the native enzyme when hydrolyzing durylacryloyl-Gly-Leu-NH2, the substrate employed most widely. By comparison, the aromatic acylamino acid derivatives are "superactive," their activities being as much as 70-fold greater. Apparently, the aromatic character of the amino acid introduced is a critical variable in the determination of the functional response. The increased activity is completely restored to that of the native enzyme by deacylation with nucleophiles, such as hydroxylamine, and the rate of restoration of native activity is a function of the particular acyl group incorporated. Preliminary evidence regarding the chemical properties of the modified enzyme suggests that tyrosine, rather than lysine, histidine, or arginine, may be the residue modified. The functional consequences of successive modification with different reagents, moreover, indicate that each of them reacts with the same protein residue. The competitive inhibitors beta-phenyl-propionyl-Phe and Zn-2+ do not prevent modification with these active esters. Hence, the site(s) of their inhibitory action differ(s) from that at which modification occurs. The structure of the substrate is also a significant variable which determines the rate at which each acyl amino acid thermolysin hydrolyzes peptides. Depending on the particular substrate, the activity of aromatic derivatives can be as much as 400-fold greater than that of the native enzyme, and the resultant activity patterns can be ordered in a series characteristic for each enzyme derivative.

Acylation↗

PubMed1975

The role of bound calcium ions in thermostable, proteolytic enzymes. II. Studies on thermolysin, the thermostable protease from Bacillus thermoproteolyticus.

The functional properties of the four calcium ions, bound by thermolysin, appear to be very similar to those of the single calcium ion bound by thermomycolase (G. Voordouw and R.S. Roche (1975), Biochemistry, preceding paper in this issue). Hence when the free calcium ion concentration is varied in the range where the calcium double-site dissociates (G. Voordouw and R.S. Roche (1974), Biochemistry 13, 5017), no changes are observed in the sedimentation coefficient or the peptide circular dichroism. Differences in molar ellipticity and molar extinction coefficient occur in the aromatic ultraviolet region, which parallel the occupancy of the calcium binding double site. The difference spectrum, characterized by a main band at 290 nm and a somewhat smaller band at 283 nm, is interpreted as due to the transfer of a partially buried tryptophan residue to the aqueous solvent upon dissociation of the two calcium ions from the double site. This is most likely Trp-186, which is in between Asp-185 and Glu-187, two chelating amino acids of this site. From the calcium dependence of the rate constant for autolytic degradation we conclude, as for thermomycolase, that only conformers devoid of bound calcium ion serve as substrates in the reaction. This rate constant increases about 1000-fold, when the double site dissociates. Hydrogen-tritium exchange studies show the presence of a large stable strcutural core, comprising about 32% of all the peptide hydrogens present. These do not exchange-in after 24 hr at 25degreesC, pH 9.0, ionic strenth 0.1. The exchange-out of 60 slow hydrogens was found to be independent of the free calcium ion concentration in the range 2.0-8.0 X 10(-4) M, where all four calcium-binding sites are saturated. The calcium dependence of the first-order rate constant for thermal denaturation at 80degreesC, pH 7.0, indicates that thermolysin is stabilized by only one calcium ion under these conditions. These observations are rationalized in terms of a calcium-binding model for thermolysin and the known three-dimensional structure of the enzyme and its calcium-binding sites.

Apoenzymes↗

PubMed2004

Structure of thermolysin cleaved microcin J25: extreme stability of a two-chain antimicrobial peptide devoid of covalent links.

The structure of a two-chain peptide formed by the treatment of the potent antimicrobial peptide microcin J25 (MccJ25) with thermolysin has been characterized by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The native peptide is 21 amino acids in size and has the remarkable structural feature of a ring formed by linkage of the side chain of Glu8 to the N-terminus that is threaded by the C-terminal tail of the peptide. Thermolysin cleaves the peptide at the Phe10-Val11 amide bond, but the threading of the C-terminus through the N-terminal ring is so tight that the resultant two chains remain associated both in the solution and in the gas phases. The three-dimensional structure of the thermolysin-cleaved peptide derived using NMR spectroscopy and simulated annealing calculations has a well-defined core that comprises the N-terminal ring and the threading C-terminal tail. In contrast to the well-defined core, the newly formed termini at residues Phe10 and Val11 are disordered in solution. The C-terminal tail is associated to the ring both by hydrogen bonds stabilizing a short beta-sheet and by hydrophobic interactions. Moreover, unthreading of the tail through the ring is prevented by the bulky side chains of Phe19 and Tyr20, which flank the octapeptide ring. This noncovalent two-peptide complex that has a remarkable stability in solution and in highly denaturing conditions and that survives in the gas phase is the first example of such a two-chain peptide lacking disulfide or interchain covalent bonds.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Structural analysis of silanediols as transition-state-analogue inhibitors of the benchmark metalloprotease thermolysin.

Dialkylsilanediols have been found to be an effective functional group for the design of active-site-directed protease inhibitors, including aspartic (HIV protease) and metallo (ACE and thermolysin) proteases. The use of silanediols is predicated on its resemblance to the hydrated carbonyl transition-state structure of amide hydrolysis. This concept has been tested by replacing the presumed tetrahedral carbon of a thermolysin substrate with a silanediol group, resulting in an inhibitor with an inhibition constant K(i) = 40 nM. The structure of the silanediol bound to the active site of thermolysin was found to have a conformation very similar to that of a corresponding phosphonamidate inhibitor (K(i) = 10 nM). In both cases, a single oxygen is within bonding distance to the active-site zinc ion, mimicking the presumed tetrahedral transition state. There are binding differences that appear to be related to the presence or absence of protons on the oxygens attached to the silicon or phosphorus. This is the first crystal structure of an organosilane bound to the active site of a protease.

Bacillus↗

PubMed1996

Arazoformyl dipeptide substrates for thermolysin. Confirmation of a reverse protonation catalytic mechanism.

Cleavage by thermolysin of N-(4-methoxyphenylazoformyl)-L-leucyl-L-leucine plus some congeneric peptides provides a highly sensitive new kinetic assay for proteolytic activity. The pH dependence of Michaelis-Menten parameters Kcat and Km establishes kinetically a reverse protonation catalytic mechanism for this metalloprotease [Mock, W.L., & Aksamawati, M. (1994) Biochem. J. 302, 57-68]. An acidified water molecule (pKa of 5, seen in Km) becomes displaced by substrate carboxamide from the hypercationic Zn2+ of the enzyme, yielding potent Lewis acid activation of the peptide linkage for subsequent hydrolysis. Conversion to product is induced by the side chain of enzymic residue His 231 (pKa of 8, seen in Kcat), which provides general base catalysis for addition of H2O to the zinc-activated scissile carboxamide of the bound substrate. A previously described "superactivation" through chemical modification of the enzyme with acetylphenylalanyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide is nonexistent in the case of the new substrates, which indicates that their binding to thermolysin is largely productive, unlike normal peptides. Correct assignment of kinetically observed pKa values to active site residues, along with recognition of a predominantly nonproductive binding mode for ordinary substrates and thermolysin, forces reinterpretation of previous mechanistic formulations for the enzyme.

Azides↗

PubMed1993

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship of angiotesin-converting enzyme and thermolysin inhibitors. II. A comparison of CoMFA models incorporating molecular orbital fields and desolvation free energies based on active-analog and complementary-receptor-field alignment rules.

The utility of comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), a three-dimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (3-D QSAR) paradigm, as a tool to aid in the development of predictive models has been previously addressed (Depriest, S.D. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, in press). Although predictive correlations were obtained for angiotensin-converting and thermolysin inhibitors, certain inadequacies of the CoMFA technique were noted. Primarily, CoMFA steric and electrostatic fields alone do not fully characterize the zinc-ligand interaction. Previously, this was partially rectified by the inclusion of indicator variables into the QSAR table to designate the class of zinc-binding ligand. Recent advances in molecular modeling technology have allowed us to further address this limitation of the preceding study. Using molecular orbital fields derived from semiempirical calculations as additional descriptors in the QSAR table, predictive correlations were produced based on CoMFA and molecular orbital fields alone--indicator variables no longer being necessary. Arbitrary information concerning the alignment of molecules under study within the active-site introduces ambiguities into the CoMFA study. Crystallographic information detailing the binding mode of several thermolysin enzyme inhibitors has previously been used as a guide for the alignment of additional, noncrystallized, inhibitors. However, this process was complicated by the lack of parameters for zinc in the molecular mechanical force field. Therefore, zinc-ligand interactions were ignored during the standard minimization procedure. The use of field-fit minimization using complementary receptor fields as templates is presented as a possible solution to the problem. Predictive correlations were obtained from analyses based on this method of molecular alignment. The availability of crystallographic data for thermolysin enzyme-inhibitor complexes allowed for an alternate definition of the CoMFA region. Herein, promising results from analyses using actual receptor active-site atom probe atoms are presented.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

PubMed1982

Solution conformation of the thermolysin inhibitors carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanine and beta-phenylpropionyl-L-phenylalanine and comparison of the solution conformation to the enzyme-bound conformation.

The conformations of enzyme inhibitors in solution and bound to the enzyme thermolysin are investigated as a convenient model for understanding the relationship between the conformation of drugs in solution and at the receptor. The solution conformations of carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanine (I) and beta-phenylpropionyl-L-phenylalanine (II) are determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These studies show that I and II have essentially the same conformation about both the alpha-beta bond and the C alpha-N bond in Me2SO-d6, acetone-d6, methanol-d4, chloroform-d, and D2O. In addition, the conformations of I and II are similar to phenylalanine and other phenylalanine derivatives. Comparison of the lowest energy solution conformer to that bound by the enzyme thermolysin shows that the lowest energy conformer (in solution) of carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanine is bound by thermolysin; on the other hand, it is the highest energy conformer (in solution) of beta-phenylpropionyl-L-phenylalanine which is bound to the enzyme. This, to our knowledge, is one of the first experimental conformations of the hypothesis that an enzyme does not always bind the lowest energy conformer of an inhibitor.

Kinetics↗

PubMed1994

Binding to thermolysin of phenolate-containing inhibitors necessitates a revised mechanism of catalysis.

Competitive inhibition as a function of pH for the metalloendoprotease thermolysin by derivatives of L-alpha-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzenepropanoyl-L- tryptophanylglycylglycine exhibits a diagnostic bell shape. Binding is maximal between two pKa values: on the acidic limb the apparent Ki value is regulated by an unchanging enzymic ionization (pKa 5.3) which is also seen in the substrate-hydrolysis kinetics (kcat/Km), whereas the alkaline limb for inhibition varies and depends specifically on the pKa of the phenolic group in the inhibitor. Although it should be the phenolate form of the inhibitor that co-ordinates more efficiently to the active-site Zn2+, the apparent Ki shifts from pH-independent at pH values immediately below the inhibitor's pKa to progressively weaker binding at higher pH. This is explained by an anomalous acidity for the exchangeable solvent molecule that is attached to enzymic Zn2+ in the absence of substrate or inhibitor. Since OH- cannot be displaced from the enzyme as readily as H2O, a compensating pKa of 5.3 possessed by Zn(2+)-bound water rationalizes the binding characteristics, yielding the level pH profile exhibited at intermediate pH values. Recognition of the implicit heightened Lewis acidity of the metal ion in thermolysin leads to a revision of the mechanism of catalysis. The substrate amide bond becomes activated for hydrolysis by carbonyl-group co-ordination to the especially acidic Zn2+ ion (completely displacing the H2O/OH- species otherwise bound). The imidazole group of enzymic residue His-231, also discerned in the pH profile for kcat/Km from its pKa of 8, provides general-base assistance for hydration of the activated scissile linkage in the first committed step of catalysis. Additional evidence from inhibition patterns shows how substrate-binding energy may be employed in this scheme to promote hydrolysis of peptides by thermolysin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Thermolysin activates equine lamellar hoof matrix metalloproteinases.

Cultured equine lamellar hoof explants secrete the pro-enzymes matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2, 72 kDa) and MMP-2 (92 kDa). Untreated explants remained intact when tested on a calibrated force transducer, but when treated with an MMP activator, developed "in-vitro laminitis", separating at the dermal-epidermal junction. Explants treated with the bacterial protease thermolysin separated dose-dependently; this was accompanied by activation of both MMP-2 and -9. Thermolysin-mediated MP activation did not occur in a cell-free system and was not inhibited by the addition of the MMP inhibitor and batimastat. These findings suggest that thermolysin-mediated gelatinase activation is not dependent on membrane-bound matrix metalloproteinase (MT-MMP) activation, providing further evidence that bacteria can produce potent MMP activators that probably facilitate host invasion.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Evidence of homologous relationship between thermolysin and neutral protease A of Bacillus subtilis.

A comparison of the partial amino-acid sequence of neutral protease A from Bacillus subtilis with the structure of thermolysin (EC 3.4.24.4) from Bacillus thermoproteolyticus reveals that these two proteins are homologous. Of 171 residues placed in neutral protease (54% of the sequence), 83 residues (49%) occur in identical positions in thermolysin, and include nine of the 13 residues previously identified as components of the active site of thermolysin. This similarity provides support for the hypothesis that the two enzymes have similar three-dimensional structures and a common mechanism of action. Since these enzymes differ markedly in their resistance to heat inactivation, a comparison of their structures may eventually provide a chemical basis for explaining the differences in their thermal stability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1986

Binding between thermolysin and its specific inhibitor, N-phosphoryl-L-leucyl-L-tryptophan (PLT).

The interaction between thermolysin and its specific inhibitor, PLT (N-phosphoryl-L-leucyl-L-tryptophan), has been investigated by steady-state inhibitory kinetics analysis, fluorometric titration, and the stopped-flow method. The inhibitor constant of PLT, Ki, and the dissociation constant of thermolysin(E)-PLT(I) complex, Kd, are found to be smaller by a factor of 4 to 300, depending on pH, resulting in stronger binding, than those of talopeptin and phosphoramidon, but all of them show similar pH dependence. The dependence of the apparent first-order rate constant, Kapp, on the inhibitor concentration is consistent with a minimum two-step mechanism, including a fast bimolecular step followed by a slow unimolecular step, (Formula: see text). The values of K-1 (the dissociation constant of the intermediate EItr) and K-2 (the backward rate constant in the unimolecular step) are not so significantly different between PLT and talopeptin, while the K+2 (forward rate constant in the unimolecular step) value for PLT is about 14 times larger than that of talopeptin (pH 5.5). These facts suggest that the forward rate of the isomerization step, EItr----EI, is much larger in the absence of the sugar moiety of talopeptin, and hence it induces the stronger binding of PLT to thermolysin than that of talopeptin.

Binding Sites↗