Cathepsins exopeptidases

Gener ally, a family of peptidases contains either exopeptidases or endopeptidases, but there are exceptions. Family Cl contains not only endopeptidases such as cathepsin L, but also the aminopeptidase bleomycin hydrolase. Some members of this family can act as exopeptidases as well as endopeptidases. For example, cathepsin B also acts as a peptidyl-dipeptidase, and... 

One of the general principles of the Nomenclature Committee is that enzymes should be classified and named according to the reaction they catalyze. However, the overlapping specificities of and great similarities in the action of different peptidases render naming solely on the basis of function impossible [10]. For example, some enzymes can act as both endo- and exopeptidases. Thus, cathepsin H (EC 3.4.22.16) is not only an endopeptidase but also acts as an aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11), and cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1) acts as an endopeptidase as well as a peptidyl-dipeptidase (EC 3.4.15). The actual classification of peptidases is, therefore, a compromise based not only on the reaction catalyzed but also on the chemical nature of the catalytic site, on physiological function, and on historical priority. 

Most of the lysosomal proteases called cathepsins are small 20- to 40-kDa glycoproteins found in all animal tissues.313 Most are cysteine proteases which function best and are most stable in the low pH reducing environment of lysosomes. They resemble papain in size, amino acid sequence, and active site structures. Papain is nonspecific but most cathepsins have definite substrate preferences. Cathepsin B is the most abundant. There are smaller amounts of related cathepsins H (an aminopeptidase)314 and L315 and still less of cathepsins C, K, and others. Cathepsin B is both an endopep-tidase and an exopeptidase.316 It acts on peptides with arginine at either Pj or P2 but also accepts bulky hydro-phobic residues in Pj and prefers tyrosine at P3.317 Cathepsin S is less stable at higher pH than other cathepsins and has a more limited tissue distribution, being especially active in the immune system.318 319... 

Final degradation of substrates to oligopeptides and free amino acids may involve gastro-dermal exopeptidases such as a cathepsin C (Caffrey et al., 2004), which removes dipeptides from the N-terminus of proteins, and a leucine aminopeptidase (LAP McCarthy et al., 2004), which is capable of releasing free amino acids from peptides and dipeptides. However, it is notable that cathepsin B also exhibits carboxydipeptidase activity and, therefore, may well play a dual role (Tort et al., 1999 Caffrey et al., 2004). 

Liver flukes also possess cathepsin C and LAP exopeptidases that are orthologous to the schistosome enzymes. These exopeptidases most likely complete the digestive process to yield free dipeptides and amino acids, respectively, from peptides generated by endoprote-olytic cysteine protease activity on host proteins. Both cathepsin C and LAP have been immunolocalized to gastrodermal cells (Carmona et al., 1994 Acosta et al., 1998 J.P. Dalton, unpublished data). 

Fig. 18.5. Sequence alignment of the occluding loop of trematode cathepsin Bs. The predicted loop region is indicated by a black bar. The histidine residues conferring exopeptidase activity are marked with asterisks.

The lysosomal enzymes most relevant to our discussion are the peptidases and the nucleases. The peptidases, also referred to as the cathepsins, comprise at least eight exopeptidases and nine endopeptidases, which between them have a broad range of specificities that enable them to reduce any proteins or peptides to their constituent amino acids. 

As described in Section 1.6.1 exopeptidases cleave at N- and C-termini and include aminopeptidases, carboxypeptidases and dipeptidyl peptidase, whereas endopeptidases cleave at an internal peptide bond and include enkephalinase and cathepsin B. Small peptides are relatively resistant to the action of endopeptidases but their activity is significant for large peptides. 

Cathepsin L cleavage specificity indicates the subsequent aminopeptidase B exopeptidase step for neuropeptide production... 

Recent molecular cloning studies have identified aminopeptidase B as an appropriate Arg/Lys aminopeptidase (35). Molecular cloning of the bovine aminopeptidase B (AP-B) cDNA defined its primary sequence that provided production of specific antisera to demonstrate localization of AP-B in secretory vesicles that contain cathepsin L with the neuropeptides enkephalin and NPY. AP-B was also found in several neuroendocrine tissues by western blots. Recombinant bovine AP-B (35) and rat AP-B were compared. Recombinant bovine AP-B showed preference for Arg-MCA substrate compared with Lys-MCA. AP-B was inhibited by arphamenine, an inhibitor of aminopeptidases. Bovine AP-B showed similar activities for Arg-(Met)enkephalin and Lys-(Met)enkephalin neuropeptide substrates to generate (Met)enkephalin, whereas rat AP-B preferred Arg-(Met)enkephalin. Furthermore, AP-B possesses an acidic pH optimum of 5.5-6.5 that is similar to the internal pH of secretory vesicles. The significant finding of the secretory vesicle localization of AP-B with neuropeptides and cathepsin L suggests a role for this exopeptidase in the biosynthesis of neuropeptides. 

The distinction between exopeptidases and endopeptidases is merged for some members of the subfamily CIA. Dipep-tidylpeptidase I acts principally as an exopeptidase, removing N-terminal dipeptides, but may have some endopeptidase activity. Cathepsins B and H both possess endopeptidase activity but also possess exopeptidase activities. Cathepsin B acts as a peptidyl-dipeptidase, releasing C-terminal dipeptides. Cathepsin X is a carboxypeptidase. 

Among many other peptide splitting enzymes such as (bacterial) subtilisin and thermolysin, (vegetable) papain, ficin and bromelain, (mammalian) cathepsin and others, the yeast enzyme carboxypeptidase Y finally deserves special mention. The enzyme is an exopeptidase, like carboxypeptidase A i.e. it catalyzes, rather unspecifically, the hydrolytic fission of the carboxy-terminal a-amino acids from a peptide chain. J.T. Johansen and his associates at the Carlsberg laboratory in Copenhagen showed about 10 years ago that CPD-Y is an effective catalyst of peptide bond synthesis [36]. 

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